Gemini
by kavi-sama
Summary: What's the only thing worse than Voldemort? The woman he idolized, who taught him everything he knows, including that love doesn't always make you a better person, but it certainly makes it a little less lonely at the top: Nyx, Slytherin Extraordinaire.
1. Awake

**Gemini**

Prologue to The Other Kind of Evil

**Chapter 1. **Awake

"_Tearing it back, unveiling me. Taking a step back so I can breathe. Hear the silence about to break. Fear resistance when I'm awake._"

_- _"Awake" © Godsmack

A long, dimly-lit hallway stretched before him, a tall, pale Prefect with a superiority complex to match Hitler and cruelty to match the Grinch on a bad day. Dark hair and dark eyes matched Tom Riddle's dark heart, and even his appropriately coordinated dark shoes. His handsome features and brilliant mind were a welcome veil over his sadistic and manipulative nature, not to mention his plans of world domination and Muggle genocide.

That was at the front of his mind at the moment. It was New Year's Eve – his 16th birthday. Only one year remained before he could really take advantage of his awe-inspiring skills and begin his global conquest. The only thing that worried him was his mortality; something needed to be done about that.

He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he nearly walked by it without a second glance. Tom noticed the conspicuous door and realized that the Room of Requirement had appeared as he passed by.

"_But why?"_ he wondered. _"I don't need anything, and I only walked by once."_

Tom's curiosity got the better of him; perhaps someone else was in the room, and he could exercise his rights as a Prefect to punish them for being out of bed at this hour. He loved doing that. Even better, perhaps there was something in the room that he didn't _know_ he needed yet, and he would be very sorry if he didn't get it while he had the chance.

He glanced around stealthily to make sure no one, including the castle's many ghosts, would see him, and entered the room without making a sound. No sooner had he closed the door when he felt a surge of disappointment. The room felt as though someone else had just left it. It was rather small and scarcely lit by the smoldering torches fastened to the stone walls. He re-lit the torches, illuminating the piles of old furniture crouched in the corners beneath heavy white sheets. Tom felt like he was being watched by four badly deformed polar bears.

The moment his eyes drifted to the center of the room, he felt his hopes rekindled. A huge stone slab embedded in the floor, through the thick carpet and the wooden floorboards, supported a rectangular stone box, roughly the size of a person. Ornate, serpentine carvings on the sides of the strange object were set with emeralds, tracing out the mark of Salazar Slytherin. With eager chills running all over his body, Tom pulled out his wand and began to examine the stone carefully. He was able to trace out a powerful charm keeping the box's heavy lid shut tight, and tried his luck at a counter spell to open it.

A dull thud and a hiss of air told him that it worked. Just as Tom positioned his wand to levitate the lid and see what sort of goodies were hidden inside, he gagged on the overpowering, coppery scent of fresh blood. He gave himself a quick examination and was glad to see that the blood wasn't his own. Tom hesitated before slowly lifting the stone lid and letting it rest on the floor beside him. He peered over the edge into the box and whirled around, swallowing hard to keep his dinner where it belonged.

The stone "box" turned out to be a stone _**coffin**_. An emaciated old woman in a thin, white burial robe lay at the bottom, in a clear two inches of bright red blood. When Tom's stomach could handle it, he took a second look inside and saw tiny white bones floating in the blood all around the eerie corpse. Her withered hands were folded across her abdomen; an ebony wand rested beneath her fingers. Tom spotted a large, oval-shaped ruby, the same hue as the blood, attached to a white gold chain wound three times around her neck. He thought it was common for both wizards and witches to be buried with their wands, but he found the presence of such valuable jewelry a little strange.

Tom was extremely unsettled by the dead woman's appearance. Her skin was translucent enough to show hundreds of dark, spidery veins traced all across her thin body. Her long hair was a milky white color, except for where the blood had stained it to a light brownish-red. His dark eyes roved over her face, and he was stunned to see that she looked like a teenager.

"_Like many other women I have seen, this one is also quite beautiful_," Tom thought as he stared at her. "_Unlike the others, **she** is dead, and she is **extremely** creepy. The sight of blood has never bothered me before, but reeking gallons of it is completely **repulsive**…"_

The mystery woman's white robe was over half soaked with blood, and additional blood stained the areas that suggested a violent struggle. Vivid red smears around her mouth and nose made her look even more grotesque. Tom wondered if the blood was all hers, or if someone else had "donated" it. He also wondered how long she had been there, why she was there in the first place, how and why she had died, and how in the world she got the body of an old woman and the head of a teenager.

More importantly, was she really dead? Tom would never admit it, but he was too afraid to touch her corpse to search for a pulse, and looking at all that blood made him feel sick. The idea of a Prefect such as himself finding a dead woman in an unknown room under such odd conditions was worse than interacting with a cadaver, though.

Tom cleared his throat and spoke. "Are you dead?"

No response.

"Talking to a dead thing is actually rather embarrassing, so if you are _not_ dead, please do let me know."

She seemed as lifeless as ever.

Tom sighed deeply. Something inside him kept nagging that he had to be absolutely sure she was dead before he did anything else, and he had no choice but to listen to it. It suddenly dawned on him that this was a very Sleeping Beauty-like situation, except much more macabre.

"…I am _**not**_ kissing a dead girl." Tom was so offended by the idea that he said it aloud.

The dead girl in question still gave no signs of life. The Slytherin glared down at her, shifting nervously as he wavered. Why did the dead have to scare him so much? One little poke and he would know well enough if she was dead. If he wasn't concerned about dropping it into the pool of blood, he would have gladly used his wand to do it. But Tom knew that if she was dead, his skin wouldn't feel any heat, and he could go back to the dormitory and never be curious again. Even as he extended his long, pale fingers towards her, he still hoped that somehow, there was something here of value for him.

One touch, cool flesh against cool flesh, and an explosion of magical energy radiated out of the stone coffin, washing over Tom as another sensation pulled him in. It felt as though something was being drawn out of him, leaving him tired and unsteady, but not in pain. He grabbed the edge of the coffin to support himself and looked at the woman lying below.

Her eyes snapped open, revealing two pitch black, lifeless orbs. Tom leapt backwards and hit the wall hard as the body was lifted up, like a puppet on invisible strings, until she remained standing on her own. He saw the blood swirling around her bare feet and trickling upwards to be absorbed into her skin. The burial robe's many bloodstains began to fade until the fabric was as clean and white as the day it was made. As the blood seeped into her, the woman's veins swelled and color rushed into her skin. Her twiggy silhouette began to flesh out to a healthy weight, and a rather shapely figure, too, Tom noted. After the wave of fresh blood had passed, her skin became light and opaque like white marble. Inky blackness spread through her gently wavy white hair and her eyes lightened to a pale, mossy green.

As Tom went on gaping at her, the woman slowly parted her lips and took in several long gulps of fresh air. With a shudder, the 16-year-old noticed enormous fangs protruding form her lips. Tom immediately confirmed that she was definitely a vampire, and that he definitely regretted disturbing her sleep. The pages of his third-year Defense Against the Dark Arts book flipped through his mind, reviewing what to do and what not to do when fighting a vampire. Tom's mind was practically buzzing with plans on how to defend himself and how to escape with his life in case she decided he looked a tasty treat.

The woman suddenly slumped to her knees at the bottom of the coffin and retrieved her dropped wand. After examining it as if she'd never seen it before, she stowed it inside her robe and looked around, accustoming herself to the new air and the presence of light. Her strange-colored eyes eventually landed on Tom, who had just gotten fully to his feet, and now stood frozen in the vampire's cold stare.

She spoke in a sharp tone: "Who art thou that hast awakened me?"

Tom wasn't quite sure how to respond to someone speaking so archaically. He wet his lips and decided to cooperate with her. "My name is Tom Riddle."

Before he could ask her the same question, she demanded, "'Tom Riddle'? What time is this that such a strange name should exist?"

He couldn't decide if he was happy to hear that his otherwise common name was unusual to her, or to be insulted.

"It is December 31st, 1941, but in about two hours, it will be 1942."

The woman looked shocked and furious as she snarled, "Do not toy with me, thou _**worm**_! 'Twas the year 960 when last I breathed clean air. Thy lie is impossible. Thou wouldst do well to heed my bad temperament and be honest."

"I-I'm not lying!" Tom spluttered. "It really _**is**_ almost 1942. I would never be foolish enough to lie and anger someone like you."

With a raised eyebrow, she asked, "What dost thou mean?"

"I understand that any vampire is far more powerful than I could _ever_ be," Tom replied silkily. "And an immortal such as yourself is more than worthy of my fear and respect. I mean no offense, but may I have the honor of knowing your name?"

She stared at him for what felt like hours before her lips curved into a smile that sent a chill up Tom's spine. "Thou may address me as Nyx. I fear that my memory hast depleted over time, and so I cannot recall any more. Hast it really been so long since I fell asleep? Dost thou give me thy word that tomorrow, it will be 1942?"

"You have my word," he said, nodding his head emphatically. He was extremely relieved that turning on the charm had finally gotten her to calm down. _"Nyx… What an interesting name… I think I might be jealous."_

Nyx looked suddenly distressed and looked away as she began massaging her temple gently. Tom heard her murmuring to herself, "My mind is unable to comprehend such a passage of time as this… The countless events I slept through… The many things I do not yet know… It is an intolerable thought!"

She turned to look at him full-on again and asked, "Wilt thou teach me about the world? I know not the first place to begin. My mind still rests in the year 960… It must be brought to the year 1942, or surely I shall not last in such a strange and unfamiliar place as this."

Tom considered her for a few long moments as thousands of thoughts raced through his brain. Finally, he said in the same smooth voice, "I would be honored to teach you whatever you like."

"Then thou hast my gratitude," Nyx said, smiling again, and sending another chill up his spine. She stood up and started to climb out of the deep coffin, but Tom quickly closed the distance between the two of them with one long stride, holding out his hand. She watched it curiously until Tom made a more obvious gesture for her to take it. With a satisfied smirk, Nyx placed her hand in his and allowed him to help her out of the coffin. Both noticed a peculiar sensation as their pale skin touched.

Nyx covered her surprise at the strange feeling by commenting in a much more pleasant voice, "I am pleased to see that chivalry hast not perished in these many years."

"I try to be as polite as I can, especially to women," Tom replied in a falsely humble tone. "…_and especially when a woman such as yourself holds so much potential for me_…" He couldn't help but measure Nyx by her usefulness; a powerful vampire would undoubtedly be a great asset to him, and judging by the markings on her coffin, she must have had some connection to Slytherin. With the hope that he would be able to "tame" her, Tom was sure that he would win Nyx's allegiance as well as any information she had to offer concerning his ancestor.

Tom led the vampire out into the hall and spoke as the door vanished into the stone behind them. "Forgive my apparent lack of creative planning, but I think it would be best if you stayed in that room for now."

"Then why didst thou lead me out of it?" Nyx inquired, looking at him like his brain has just popped out of his skull and landed on her foot.

"The room you were in just now is called the Room of Requirement. It changes according to the user's needs and wants," he explained patiently. "The Room stays as it is if someone is inside it, so the only way to change it is to do so from the outside. I am not sure how or why I was able to enter the room you were sleeping in, but you can certainly stay in a different room for the time being. Hopefully I will be able to think of a better living situation for you soon. Hogwarts is still a school, and although most students are currently away on their Christmas holiday, they will be returning in a few days. I do not wish to risk your discovery, but for the time being, you should be quite safe and quite unnoticed."

Nyx nodded in agreement. She had to admit that she was impressed with the young man's quick planning. She also felt a dark sense of amusement as she realized the Room of Requirement's true design. _"What an ingenious way to hide me from the world…"_

"How dost this room change according to thy will?" she asked aloud.

"You have to walk past it three times…" Tom explained as he strode by. "…and concentrate on what you need the room to become."

Right on cue, the door reappeared. True to his gentlemanly behavior, Tom held the door open for Nyx as she stepped inside and beheld a lavish suite. A sitting area with elegant black leather chairs and a massive black marble fireplace, a pillow-laden mahogany four-poster bed (plus a coffin in case that was what she preferred), a marble bathroom with golden taps… Nyx could hardly suppress her gasp of amazement.

"This wouldst have been very convenient in the past…" she murmured under her breath.

"Will this be suitable for you?" Tom asked politely from the doorway.

Nyx answered, "Yes, I think I shall be perfectly comfortable here. Once again, thou hast my gratitude for thy assistance."

The Slytherin Prefect smiled and said silkily, "Then I shall return in the morning with some breakfast for you…or would you prefer fresh blood to fresh eggs?"

The vampire laughed and replied with a smirk, "I shall be satisfied with either. But if thou wishes to offer blood, do not offer thy own. Thou wouldst be severely weakened if thou survived at all."

Tom laughed quietly. "I will keep that in mind. Good night."

He bowed out of the room and began striding towards the Slytherin dormitories. He wondered what would happen if someone were to stumble across Nyx, and with a dark chuckle, he came to the conclusion that she simply would have filled her appetite. Tom began to consider vampirism as another method of gaining immortality – just in case creating seven Horcruxes took too long.

Tom's initial hope that the Room of Requirement held something as valuable as the Chamber of Secrets for him seemed to have been met. Though he was disappointed at first, he was now absolutely sure that Nyx was just what he needed.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not.

**A/N to Other Kind of Evil readers: **Hi there! Please don't throw rocks at me for not updating _**anything**_ in months. I've had more issues with OKoE than Nyx does with, well, life itself, and I was 99 percent sure that I wouldn't continue the story at all because I was just so damn frustrated. I had an awful lot to say on the subject, so I won't repeat it here, but you can still find the link on my profile to my rant. I'm not nearly as upset about it now, but I still stand by what I said.

Anyway, this portion of the story is the part that I've been wanting to write very, very badly ever since I started OKoE. Because I'm still debating whether or not to continue it, I decided to go ahead and write this part as a separate, stand-alone fanfic that will make sense to old and new readers alike. The story will fit in with OKoE by the time I'm finished, and the characters are the same. (Come to think of it, I think Nyx herself is the only actual OC that I use in this entire fic. Well… There are two others, but…um…they don't count as separate people.)

Because this all takes place before the OKoE timeline started, you're only at a slightly better advantage than other people because you know that Nyx and Tom will not in fact end up living happily ever after, and you know that Nyx has SMS (even though she doesn't, yet). Everything else is brand new, though. XD Everything that occurs in Gemini would have been revealed in those flashback chapters I always talked about. Considering my issues with writing OKoE, I knew it would still be a while before I could get to this part of the story, and even then, I would have to trim it down and skip a lot of the best and funniest parts. That made me sad, so as you can see, I'm going for broke and writing the _**entire thing**_.

But, as I'm sure you also noticed, this chapter was only 2,800 words – A NEW RECORD! HOORAY! I wrote this entire chapter, form outline to finish, in ONE day. ONE DAY. It was BEAUTIFUL. Since then, I managed to write chapter 2 in 2 days, and chapter 3 in about 6 hours. I FEEL LIKE A NEW WOMAN! –sob- I can guarantee that every chapter will stay within the 5,000 word limit because I want to be able to update frequently and reliably, unlike with OKoE. (I totally understand why people were annoyed with the long chapters. They took too long and they were a pain. It won't happen again.)

So, please bear with me as I try to adjust my writing habits and with luck, I will finally complete a fanfiction without pussying out. I won't work on OKoE from now on; I might never work on it again. After I finish Gemini, I'll decide what I want to do. At any rate, thanks for being interested in what I write. I really appreciate it. :D

**A/N to new readers: **Assuming you didn't read the long A/N above, I just want you to know that 1. I appreciate you taking the time to read my writing and I hope you like it, and 2. don't worry if you've never read OKoE. You didn't miss much of anything related to the events in Gemini, so don't feel like you _**need**_ to go read OKoE in order to catch up. OKoE takes place about 50 years after Gemini ends, and none of the events in Gemini have been revealed in OKoE yet. I wanted to write this part of the story as a stand-alone fic to make sure that anyone would be able to read it, not just my old readers.

**Also:** Kudos to my lovely betas, Tiff and Shan. :3 (Yep, they're still here.)

**General Notes: **For anyone who actually noticed this, Nyx speaks in Middle English, even though it technically started up after the year 1000. That was how I envisioned her speaking, so that's what I used, even though it's technically off. I wanted to make it obvious that she wasn't from modern times, but I didn't want to overdo it in case it confused anyone. (Meaning, I could have used even more archaic terms, but I chose not to.) I've had readers in the past who didn't speak English as their first language, so I wanted to keep them in mind, too.

Yes, Lady Gwen, I took a page out of your book and now I'm putting quotes and stuff with my chapters. I always thought that was cool, so now I'm doing it, too. (Finding good quotes is way harder than it seems. –dies- )

Speaking of Lady Gwen, the way I see Tom, he tries very hard to be very proper and formal as often as he can. Therefore, I try to have him use contractions as often as not ("I'm" versus "I am"), unless he's flustered, angry, embarrassed, etc. or when he's thinking to himself. (Or when saying the full words just sounds strange.) Also, in the actual books, he uses contractions very frequently, so I have no qualms about making him use them. I'm trying to keep Tom as canon as possible, even though the story seems like it needs a fanon Tom. Well, I dislike fanon, so don't worry about Tom turning nice just because he falls in love or some shit like that.

One other thing: I gave this an M rating because as the story progresses and Nyx and Tom become more comfortable around each other, you're going to hear some really choice language, among other non-child-friendly things. (Not to mention I swear a lot in the entire A/N section. XD)

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**---** **k**avi - **s**ama **---**


	2. Realign

**Gemini**

Prologue to The Other Kind of Evil

**Chapter 2. **Realign

"_We have a hunger of the mind which asks for knowledge of all around us, and the more we gain, the more is our desire; the more we see, the more we are capable of seeing.__"_

_- _Maria Mitchell

"Nyx? It's me, Tom."

He waited for an objection, and when he received none, Tom cautiously stepped through the door into the Room of Requirement. True to his word, he had returned in the morning with breakfast for his 'project' – a female vampire named Nyx from the year 960. To be honest, he didn't know much else about her. His main concern after finding her was to find a safe place to hide her. Tom had promised to teach her about everything that had happened in the past millennium, and the Room of Requirement provided a relatively well hidden place for her to stay while he did that.

Although he had very few fears, Nyx intimidated Tom. He was careful as he entered her surprisingly luxurious living quarters in case she woke up on the wrong side of the coffin. Tom didn't need to be a genius to know what would happen to him if he irritated her.

After dumping his school bag and a pile of books in an empty leather chair, the Prefect placed Nyx's breakfast on the mahogany coffee table in front of the massive, black marble fireplace. He wondered perhaps a little too late if a vampire would actually eat bacon and eggs. Tom shrugged it off and removed a glass candleholder from the mantelpiece, transfiguring it into a goblet. He once again stopped to wonder what Nyx might want to drink with her breakfast. Tom glanced at the veins in his exposed wrist and hoped she wouldn't ask for a donation.

Turning to look for her, Tom noticed that the bed seemed to be undisturbed. The coffin a few feet away from it was closed, and just as he wondered if she was still asleep (and if she would rip his head off if he disturbed her), Nyx appeared at the bathroom doorway. She looked surprisingly tired and extremely displeased about something.

"What's wrong?" Tom asked.

"I hath not slept at _**all**_," she snapped.

He grimaced a little at his foolish mistake. "Oh… Vampires only sleep during the day, don't they? I apologize for not thinking of that last night. I should have brought you something to read before I left."

"I forgive thy error," Nyx grumbled. "Now, I hath a more pressing matter to take up with thou."

Grabbing him roughly by the arm, the vampire dragged Tom into the bathroom, pointed accusingly at the toilet, and shouted, "I _**demand**_ to know the meaning of this infernal contraption!"

"…you have never seen indoor plumbing before, have you?" he asked in disbelief.

"Indoor what?"

Tom sighed. _"You've really gotten yourself into it this time, haven't you?"_

"That is a toilet. That is where you…go to the bathroom."

Nyx stared at him uncomprehendingly.

"It is like a…" he continued slowly. "…like a much cleaner and more sophisticated chamber pot."

Nyx's face lit up as she finally understood. "Oh, I see now! I inspected it for hours last evening, and I couldst not imagine a use for such a strange thing. This lever drains away the, uh…filth?"

Tom nodded awkwardly.

Nyx laughed in delight and cheered, "_**Brilliant!**_ What a fascinating invention! I cannot wait to see what else I have missed. I hope there are more conveniences like this."

Taking his cue, Tom turned and gestured towards the bathtub and asked, "Are you familiar with one of these?"

"It is a bath, correct?"

"Yes. Since you have this whole place to yourself, I do not see why you cannot use it as often as you like," he said. "But please warn me beforehand so that I do not walk in on you."

Nyx gave him a curious look. "Will I _**need**_ to use this bath soon?"

"Well, why not?" he replied with a shrug. "It looks comfortable to me. Personally, I would be thrilled if I had unlimited free time to simply sit around and relax in such a nice place…"

Nyx scoffed, "I do not understand how you can think of bathing as relaxing. It is a necessity, yes, but the water is always lukewarm at best, and never very clean…"

Tom wanted to kick himself for not explaining the system beforehand. "Thanks to that indoor plumbing thing I mentioned, you will not have to worry about lukewarm, dirty water. The water is always clean and it can be as hot or cold as you like it."

"But how?" Nyx asked innocently.

The Slytherin tried to think of the right words to use to describe the intricate and complex plumbing system of Hogwarts, and eventually decided on, "It's magic."

Since she didn't know any better, Nyx bought it without another question. Tom hoped he wouldn't have to oversimplify anything else like that.

To prevent future confusion, he decided to demonstrate how to work all the taps in the bathroom, how to drain the water, and anything else that seemed obvious to him. Nyx was absolutely giddy with astonishment at all these strange and new inventions; Tom was actually starting to look forward to teaching her because her reactions were so animated and entertaining. Teaching her was like teaching a small child filled with wonder at every new turn.

"This looks so wonderful that I think I shall have to bathe more often," Nyx commented with a grin.

"You can use it every day if you like," Tom said as he leaned with one hand on he smooth sink. "Hogwarts undoubtedly has more than enough water for it."

Nyx looked shocked and quickly replied, "I would never need it every day! Once every three months is more than enough for me! Perhaps even once a week would be too extreme…"

Tom's hand slipped off of the slick marble and he almost fell over. He quickly interjected, "With all these modern conveniences, it's not a stretch to bathe once a day. Once a week is… It is really not acceptable by modern standards, especially when you have access to your own private bath."

Nyx raised an eyebrow at him. "What sort of world is this that people need to bathe _every **day**_?"

"We know a lot more about health than people did in 960, and we know that bathing very regularly prevents a lot of diseases and unpleasant things like that," Tom explained patiently. "It is also helpful for people who have excessive body odor, but that is another matter altogether."

Nyx thought for a moment before she declared, "I think that studying modern medicinal knowledge wouldst be very useful to me."

"I can try to find a book about it for you, if you would like," Tom offered politely, to Nyx's thanks.

He followed the vampire back into the sitting area, wondering what on earth would come next. As Nyx sat down on the black leather sofa, Tom asked, "Will this be enough?"

She appraised the bacon and eggs before taking a sampling of each and giving her nod of approval. Tom took the glass goblet in one long-fingered hand and asked, "What would you like to drink?"

"I would love to have some blood, but I shall have water instead," she replied with a fanged smile.

Tom filled the goblet after muttering "_aguamenti_." He set it down next to Nyx's plate and sat in the chair opposite her. Nonchalantly, he asked, "I apologize if I seem rude, but how old are you, anyway?"

Nyx swallowed the last bit of bacon and counted. Suddenly, she jumped to her feet in horror and yelped, "Oh my god, I'm 998 years old!"

With her face in her hands, she sank back into the sofa, groaning and looking quite miserable. Although it was a staggering number, Tom wasn't terribly surprised. He couldn't be sure of her age by her appearance since vampires do not physically age after a certain point; she could have been a thousand years old already in the year 960, and he never would have guessed it.

"At least you don't look your age," Tom offered, trying to be a little comforting.

Nyx looked up at him and asked a bit desperately, "H-how old art _**thou**_?"

"I turned sixteen just yesterday," he replied calmly.

"Then I am 982 years thy senior…" she whimpered. "OH, I'M _SO_ _**OLD**_!"

Nyx suddenly gasped and squeaked, _"I used two contractions!"_ She slumped over onto her side and went on wailing about her age, forcing Tom to suppress a powerful wave of laughter. She was almost a thousand years old, and yet she was carrying on like the little kids at the orphanage.

He knew he had to change the subject or he wouldn't be able to hold in his laughter. "If you continue talking like that, someone is bound to figure out your age. Either that or they will definitely think you are insane."

"Dost thou suggest speaking in the vernacular?" she asked with a hint of disdain. "I do not wish to sound like a common peasant."

"You will not sound like a peasant any more then I do. The way you speak is fine, but you need to update your vocabulary," he explained. "For instance, stop saying 'thou' and 'thy' and 'dost' and 'art' and all that. _**No one**_ talks like that anymore. 'Thou' should be 'you,' 'thy' should be 'your,' 'dost' should be 'do,' and 'art' should be 'are.'"

"Thou is you, thy is your, dost is do, and art is are…" she muttered to herself. "I will try to remember that."

"Try using them in a sentence," Tom suggested, holding back a smile. _"This will be entertaining."_

"Uh… Dos– er, _do_ you want me to sound like a peasant?"

"No, I already told you I don't, and that was very good," he said, smirking in spite of himself. "Try something with 'your' and 'are' in it."

As Nyx kept practicing, Tom's mind was swimming with thoughts. For all of her childish behavior, Nyx was a fast learner, and obviously intelligent as well. She was uninformed, not stupid. Tom felt a sort of pride in his 'project' as he watched her language smoothly transition out of the past and into the present. Teaching her was proving to be a bit of a challenge, but it was an interesting one, and certainly worth his time.

Tom rose from his chair and took a few long strides over to his bag and rummaged around as he said, "I think you are doing very well so far, Nyx. Try to think in the same way that you talk and that should help you to remember what words to use. I have a dictionary here for you as well, because I am certain that you will come across a _lot_ of unfamiliar words in anything you might read." He pulled out the old book and handed it to her. "Once you become more accustomed to modern speech, I will try to find a novel for you to read. I think that would help you adjust more quickly than reading history books."

Nyx chuckled and asked with a grin, "Are you planning on becoming a teacher, Tom?"

He shrugged. "I have considered it, but my future plans are not yet set in stone."

"Tho- _you_ would make a fine teacher," she said. "May I venture a guess and say that you are an excellent student as well?"

"The best Hogwarts has seen in a hundred years, or so I have been told," he replied as an image of Horace Slughorn popped into his mind. "And what about yourself – assuming you were a student here, of course?"

"I was tied with a Ravenclaw for the number one position in my class," she said solemnly. "It never bothered me, though. He was a friend of mine, and all we needed was to agree that we were smarter than everyone else, and we were satisfied."

Tom chuckled. That sounded like something he would do, except none of the idiots in his class could _ever_ hope to match him in brilliance.

"I am glad to hear that you recall your days as a student," he said in a pleased tone. "You said that your memory was a bit fuzzy yesterday."

Nyx gulped her water down a little too quickly and coughed a bit before answering. "My memory is still incomplete. I recall that my friend and I were equally intelligent, but I do not recall his name. That is unsettling to me because I knew him for about seven years."

Tom looked rather crestfallen. "I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything else you recall right now?"

"I was a Slytherin, not unlike you," she said, nodding to his green and silver tie. "I was exceptionally good at potions, hated transfiguration, and I have never thought that divination was a useful way to spend my time."

"Were the four founders still here when you were a student?" Tom asked, leaning forward in his chair.

"Yes, I was taught by them," Nyx replied. "Gryffindor was the transfiguration professor, Ravenclaw taught charms, Hufflepuff did herbology and care of magical creatures, and Slytherin was the head of potions."

"The Heads of Houses teach the same classes now, except for Hufflepuff. That professor only teaches herbology," Tom said.

He was met with a curious gaze from Nyx. "Heads of Houses?"

"After the founders either retired or died, new professors were chosen to take their places in their respective Houses."

"Of course, that would be the only logical thing to do…" Nyx murmured. "How are students selected? Everyone in my class was hand-picked."

"There's a thing called the Sorting Hat – it used to belong to Gryffindor – that determines what House we should be in," Tom explained. "The hat goes on your head and it tells you the best place for you to be after it reads your mind, I suppose. I assume some complicated magic was involved when it was made because it has to act like all four founders at once, to decide who goes where."

Nyx nodded and said, "Interesting. I almost wish I could return to 960 and tell them about all of this. Ravenclaw, at the very least, would be fascinated."

"Do you remember much about the founders?" Tom asked with carefully veiled excitement, leaning forward a little more. "What they were like in real life? I know about them through books, but hearing a first-hand account would be far more valuable."

"Why are you so interested in them?" the vampire asked, throwing him a long, clear look.

"Is it unnatural to want to know more about the founder of your own House?" he replied innocently.

Nyx continued staring at him, quietly sipping her water, and noting how horrible it tasted. It seemed to her that once she tasted blood for the first time, no food or drink would ever completely satisfy her. She had been wondering how Tom's blood would taste, but no matter how tempted she was to take advantage of his apparent vulnerability, she knew that there were other, less useful people she could drink from first.

She pretended to concentrate on what she could remember about Slytherin, while she really thought about what she should or shouldn't tell him. She remembered everything; not one bit of her past was fuzzy in any way. It was a lie, but a necessary one. She didn't know what to think of Tom yet and she couldn't be too careful around him, so pretending to have amnesia was the easiest way to go. She would be absolved of all responsibility for "forgetting" what happened to her all those years ago.

Nyx was impressed with Tom's obvious intellect, as well as with his patience. She was trying very hard to appear ignorant, and it was clearly working. One slip, though, and everything could go straight to hell on her. Tom had a sharp mind, one that would pick up on details that other people would ignore. If he figured out that she was lying, he could make her life a lot less pleasant. Until that happened, she needed to keep Tom glued to her; she had no other connection to the modern world, and while she could survive on her own, having someone like him would make it go much more smoothly.

If it was information on Slytherin he wanted, she would have to withhold it for now. Nyx knew it was the only foolproof way to keep him interested in her, and she would wait until she didn't need him any more before telling him what she knew.

"All I seem to recall is that Salazar Slytherin was a very unpleasant man in life. Few people liked him, and they had good reasons for it. Godric Gryffindor was a friend of his because they studied together in the past, but I do not think that their alliance would have lasted for very long. They were much too different in their beliefs, and Slytherin's convictions became more extreme with every passing year."

Tom nodded and added, "Some time around the year 977, he and Gryffindor got into a huge fight over who should be admitted to the school. As you know, Slytherin wanted only purebloods, and Gryffindor wanted everyone who 'showed potential,' as he put it. Slytherin left because none of the others agreed with him, but he was said to have built a hidden chamber somewhere in the school beforehand. It was called the – "

"The Chamber of Secrets."

Tom started. "You know about it?" His voice was breathless and anxious.

"I heard that same rumor when I was your age," Nyx said in an expressionless tone. "If Slytherin built a chamber beneath the school and kept some sort of hideous beast within it, then he must have done it right when the school was first built. If no one has found this chamber in a thousand years, I sincerely do not think it exists."

Tom leaned back in the chair, looking very deflated, but with a strange knowing look in his gaze. "Of course. If even _you_ know nothing about it, then I suppose it really is just a myth after all," he said quietly. "Pity. It would have been an interesting find."

Nyx nodded. "What time is it?"

"Nearly ten o'clock," he said in surprise. "I cant believe I was here for two whole hours. It hardly felt like ten minutes." He laughed weakly as he stood up and started gathering his belongings.

"I will leave these books with you for now," he said, lifting the pile off of the chair and moving it to the table. "I can get others for you when you are finished with these. If there are any particular subjects you are interested in, all you need to do is ask and I will see what I can find.

"By the way…" he added. "Would you like me to try to find you some new clothes?"

Nyx looked down to see that she was still wearing the white burial robe. Although the bloodstains were gone, it was still very old and very thin. "Yes, that would be very welcome."

She paused to watch him tidy up his school bag and said quietly, "You are being very generous to me."

Tom looked up quickly in surprise and met her pale, mossy green eyes. "I-I am merely keeping my word, as far as I am concerned. I promised to help you, and that is what I am doing. But you _are_ a rather interesting 'student,' I'll give you that."

The vampire laughed softly and told him, "You will not need to bring me another meal until this evening. I am not using much energy, and so I will not need a lot of food just yet. I am also dreadfully tired… Being awake during the day seems to be disagreeable to me, so I will not make that mistake again."

"In that case, I will return this evening with your dinner," Tom said politely from the door. "Until then… Pleasant dreams."

Nyx waited for the door to close fully, and for the young man's footsteps to die away, before throwing her head back and laughing so hard that her entire body shook. Once she could breathe again, she began to speak aloud in a voice that wasn't hers. It was deeper, lower, and had a wild, bestial quality to it that would make even a statue shiver.

"It seems that young Mr. Tom Riddle knows a great deal more than he lets on," the voice said through Nyx's mouth.

"He does indeed, Erebus," Nyx's voice laughed merrily. "This will be _**very**_ interesting."

A new voice – higher, lighter, and very sharp – chuckled and asked, "Then you really think he could be the Heir?"

"I am _certain_ that he is the Heir, Hemera. I am _certain_," Nyx replied confidently.

The voice called Erebus returned to agree with Nyx. "Did you not see the look on his face the moment we said 'Chamber of Secrets'? Even the most enthusiastic admirer of Slytherin would not be that anxious to receive information on the Chamber."

"True," Hemera said. "But I do not think we should jump to conclusions. He is only a sixteen-year-old boy, you know."

"Age makes little difference in a case like this one," Nyx said in a dark voice. "But I was telling the truth when I said I was tired. We shall discuss this again later."

"As you wish, Nyx."

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not.

**A/N:** Huge thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. :D You all know I love hearing from you. I wanted to post this chapter right after chapter 1, but my betas hadn't gotten back to me yet, so it's being posted now. I'll try to update once a week, but this will definitely change depending on how fast I can pump the chapters out of my brain. School and life tends to get in my way a lot, but I have a week-long break coming up, so I hope to get a couple chapters behind me. (I wrote all of chapter 1 on a day off, so maybe I'll get one a day written? Heh, we'll see.)

…yeah. That's all I have to say this time. –shrug-

Kudos to my lovely betas, Tiff and Shan.

**General Notes: **Aren't you glad Nyx stopped speaking in Middle English? XD She might go into a little relapse in the future, but from now on I intend to have her modernize as much as possible.

…not very talkative today, am I? XD I'll have more to say in the future, I'm sure.

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**---** **k**avi - **s**ama **---**


	3. Help Me I Am In Hell

**Gemini**

Prologue to The Other Kind of Evil

**Chapter 3. **Help Me I Am In Hell

"_If you're going through hell, keep going."_

_- _Winston Churchill

Nyx had never known darkness as complete and impenetrable as this.

_Help… Somebody… Help me…_

Time stood still. Life stood still. Nothing at all was happening in that oppressive blackness.

_Please… I am afraid… Help me…_

And there was no room. No room to move, no room to breathe, almost no room to simply _be_. It was cramped, it was dark, and it was terrifying.

Yet someone else was trapped, too.

"Hello, Nyx."

"…wh-who are you?"

"I am you."

"What?"

"I am a part of you, and therefore, I am you."

"But…where are you?"

"I am within you."

"So am I!"

"Wait! Who are _**you**_?"

"I am you, too."

"_**What? **_How can there be so many of myself?"

"Do not be afraid of us, Nyx. We are a part of you and so we cannot harm you. We are trapped just as you are. We are frightened, too."

Nyx could only wonder who these strangers were and what they could possibly mean by "I am you." She never stopped to think of how impossible it was for two other people to be inside that coffin with her.

"W-what shall I call you?" she asked timidly.

"I am Erebus," the deeper voice said.

"And I am Hemera," a voice not unlike her own added.

Nyx was drowning in a constant sea of confusion; her sense of time had gone haywire. Her memories faded in and out of her mind. Her senses behaved erratically and picked up on things that weren't there. And yet…this crazy thing seemed so simple. There were two versions of herself with her. All right, that made sense. Compared to everything else, that was the only sane thing that she could think of.

Perhaps years passed as they spoke, or maybe it was only minutes. Nyx and her two companions conversed endlessly about the past, the present and the future. Nyx never questioned anything that they told her because they never questioned her. It made sense at the time, but at one point, Nyx became curious about where Erebus got his information.

"From above and around and beneath us, "he answered enigmatically. "I get it from the outside, where we cannot go."

"Erebus is a black hole," Hemera said in a smiling voice. "A vortex, a vacuum, a huge force of gravity, a magnet…"

"I pull things in and never let go," he added. "Like memories. I pull in memories and sift out the knowledge they contain. That's how I know everything I do. I got it from the people on the outside."

"He can take more than memories. He can take life," Hemera said in loving admiration of her counterpart. "He takes life so that we can live. All of us."

"I take a little from everyone, and no one misses a thing," Erebus said proudly. "I took some of your father's life while he was still alive."

"My father is dead?" Nyx asked. She hadn't thought about him in a while. It never occurred to him that time was still flowing outside of her stony prison.

"Yes, he died many years ago now," Hemera said lightly. "Old age. Weakness."

"I am not sorry to hear it," Nyx said pleasantly. "What else has happened?"

"Many things," Erebus told her in a hushed voice. "More things than you can possibly imagine. I know about all of them. Now, you will know, too."

A strange thing happened next. Nyx's mind was filled with images she had never seen, people she didn't know, places she had never been, and concepts that were so new and strange that they scared her. Her mind felt like it was about to burst from the volumes of knowledge that were poured into it all at once.

And then, suddenly, everything was calm. It was as if Nyx had reached enlightenment and everything was perfectly clear. For years after that, Erebus sucked in memories, digested them, and fed the information on to Nyx. There was nothing she didn't know, nothing she didn't understand.

Except the coffin. She could not understand why she was trapped. She had tried spells, even the new ones that Erebus had just learned about, and yet she was still trapped. It was unbelievable. No new inflow of knowledge ever explained why she was trapped in there; no one ever thought about her; clearly no one knew about her. It was an unhappy piece of news that no one knew she existed, but she got over it quickly enough.

The confusion didn't end at her presence in the coffin. Nyx was never able to decide what happened to her; was she dead or alive? She still existed in some form, but she didn't feel any more alive than a tree stump. For ages, her brain switched from thinking "I must be dead" to "I must be alive" to "I _**wish**_ I was dead" to "if I am not dead, then I must be in hell earlier than I am supposed to be." It was a dreadful existence – an _existence_, she thought, not a life. In a life, you do things. Just existing is miserably meaningless.

The only meanings in her existence were Erebus and Hemera. Her only remaining friends. They were like siblings to her, in a way. And she finally understood what they meant when they said "I am you:"

"_Erebus – my pride, my power, my darkness, my lust, my cruelty, and my vengeance. _

"_Hemera – my emotion, my weakness, my light, my love, my compassion, and my guilt."_

They were indeed a part of her, and she would not do without them. Her only companions existed only inside her head, but they were the only comfort she had in that horrible, hellish existence.

After a time that she could not measure, Nyx sensed a familiar presence. But it was new at the same time, and it gave her one small ray of hope to penetrate the black curtain of misery and meaninglessness suffocating her. Tom Marvolo Riddle was the name of that presence. Erebus drained his memories and told her that. But he didn't have time to tell her everything he learned about Tom before he opened the coffin and Nyx was brought back to life out of a worthless existence.

Nyx awoke in a haze of confusion. It took her some time to realize that she had only been _dreaming_ about her time in the coffin, which she knew because she never would have used the word "you" when that really happened, and that was a small comfort to her. She hated those memories like she hated her father; she was still not sorry that he died, and she was still unhappy that it hadn't been violent and painful.

The vampire grudgingly crawled out from underneath the thick, warm blankets and recalled her vow to never sleep in a coffin again. She glanced at the remains of the offensive coffin that had been in the room until that morning; a sad little pile of ashes in the corner of the room. With a flick of her ebony wand, the cinders disappeared into the air. Still sitting on the edge of the exquisitely comfortable bed, Nyx peered at the small clock on the mantelpiece. I was past five o'clock in the afternoon. She was still a bit sleepy, but Tom said he would be back around dinnertime, and she still wanted to test out the bath.

Nyx shuffled into the elegant bathroom and started filling the black marble tub with wonderfully hot water. She looked around and wondered why there wasn't any soap, and the moment she thought it, a bar appeared on the edge of the bath with a little pop. Nyx smiled at how efficient the room was at recognizing her needs, so she tested it again by thinking that she wanted new clothes. As she predicted, a set of robes popped out of nowhere and folded themselves on the floor next to her feet. Just as she was ready to start asking for more things, it struck her that there was a problem.

"If I can get whatever I want from the room itself, then Tom won't need to do anything for me…" she muttered with a frown. "I need him to keep coming back in here… Well, _he_ doesn't seem to know that this room can give me what I need. I simply won't tell him that it can, so he will think that he still needs to help me. Yes, that will work nicely."

Nyx wished for the clothes to disappear, and they did. The soap, on the other hand, would have to stay. As she slipped out of the burial robe, she cursed under her breath and wondered why vampires couldn't produce their own body heat like humans do. As soon as she slipped into the beautifully clean and hot water, her split personalities seemed to wake up and instantly started nagging her to talk about Tom again.

"He is most definitely the Heir of Slytherin," Erebus declared. "His memories prove it. He has already found and opened the Chamber, and the basilisk clearly has not eaten him."

"Yes, but I still wish to see proof of his bloodline before I agree whole-heartedly," Hemera argued diplomatically. "There is still a possibility, no matter how small, that he is not actually the Heir. Neither of you may believe in dumb luck, but _**I**_ do."

Nyx sighed and finally spoke in a much calmer tone than either of them. "I agree with Erebus. There is more than enough proof to believe that Tom is the Heir. I can assure you, Hemera, that he is similar enough to Slytherin himself in appearance, behavior and personality for me to believe it.

"But despite all the evidence…" Nyx added quietly. "I just cannot believe that the Heir of Slytherin could be a half-blood. It's totally absurd."

Erebus laughed cruelly. "I'm sure your father would be very proud."

"Salazar Slytherin would never have believed that his precious Heir would be anything but pureblooded wizarding royalty," Nyx said with a smirk. "Instead of a pureblood prince, he got a half-blood pauper."

"Oh, be nice to the poor boy," Hemera said in sympathetic tones. "It isn't _his_ fault his mother fell in love with a Muggle and dropped dead so quickly after he was born. And that worthless dirt-veined father of his is better off dead either way; I'm really very pleased to see that Tom has the skill and the nerve to kill so soon. He was only fifteen when he did his father in."

Nyx laughed lightly and said, "I almost feel jealous. Had I but known that I could have been the one to kill old Sally Slytherin myself, I would have done it in a heartbeat. I do hope that the truth won't shatter Tom's high ideals of my father too badly."

"When he learns the truth, I think he will change his mind," Hemera sighed. "Tom has a good head on his shoulders – and a gorgeous one, at that. I'm glad that the only similarities between him and your father are a pale complexion, black hair, and dark eyes."

"So am I," Nyx replied with a grin. "Waking up to see a copy of my father would have killed me dead."

"I know I sound contradictory," Erebus interjected. "But I find it very displeasing to refer to that boy as the Heir. I still agree with you, Nyx, that as the firstborn child, you are the only _**true**_ Heir of Slytherin. If it weren't for your father's twisted sense of worth, some sixteen-year-old kid wouldn't be in your place right now."

"Thank you, Erebus, but a fact is a fact. I was not a son, and therefore I got screwed out of everything that should have belonged to me, including the title of Heir," Nyx replied coolly. "You both recall how he favored my half-brother over me, even though I was eight years older and the child of the _first_ wife."

Hemera said softly, "Your father was so happy when Vincent was born… He gave your entire inheritance to him, didn't he?"

Nyx nodded stiffly. "Just because I was the firstborn daughter and not the firstborn son, I had no chance of winning my father's favor. But I loved my brother, and I could never blame him or be angry with him for our father's stupidity. I am not at all surprised that the modern-day Heir is also male."

Erebus snickered, "Can you imagine the look on his face when we tell him whose daughter you are? He got so worked up over the Chamber of Secrets that I think we shouldn't tell him. The shock could kill him."

Nyx laughed as she pictured Tom's jaw hitting the floor and his eyes popping out of their sockets. "I will have to keep my identity a secret for now. I do not know how he would react to it yet, whether he would admire me as he admires my father or if he would see me as a threat to his title as Heir. I care not who the Heir really is, but I _would_ like to know why he was able to get me out of that coffin."

"Didn't Salazar say something about 'you shall sleep until my Heir returns' right before he left you there?" Hemera asked.

Erebus chimed in, saying, "I remember hearing that. Then it's very simple; he found you because Slytherin wanted his Heir to find you, and he is unfortunately the Heir that Slytherin spoke of, so there you have it."

"But _why_? Why did Tom need to find me?" she pressed. "Why did my father even _**want**_ him to find me?"

"Perhaps you are a part of the Chamber of Secrets deal," Erebus offered with a smirk. "The Heir gets access to the Chamber, a pet basilisk, and Slytherin's creepy daughter to pal around with."

"That is _not_ funny, Erebus," Nyx snapped. "If my father intended for me to be some kind of tool for his precious Heir to use…" She paused to take a breath before growling, "…I will be _**very**_ displeased."

"Until we figure that out, what are we going to do about Tom?" Hemera asked. "You said this morning that we should try to keep him around."

Nyx explained, "I think he would be a useful bridge between us and the modern world. Thanks to Erebus's _''magnetic'_ personality, I already know everything about the history of the world and everything in it. _He_ will help us learn the behaviors and customs of this new world; he will help us assimilate and blend in."

"Nyx wants to _blend in_?" Erebus gasped in mock surprise. "Watch out, Hemera, I think she might have finally lost her mind!"

"To answer your question more directly, I think that we should keep Tom around for now to be a useful ally," Nyx said, smiling.

Hemera replied, "I agree. We can use our information to keep him close to us, as you planned. What say you, Erebus?"

"I understand your want of an ally for the time being, but when an ally is no longer needed, we will certainly have a use for a pawn, will we not?" he asked with a twisted smile. "The boy is inconveniently bright, but Nyx is brighter still. We could manipulate him with a little effort and mold him into a devoted servant; I am sure that he would be extremely useful."

Nyx nodded. "That is true, but for now I will treat him as an ally only. Once I have properly assessed his abilities and his potential, I will make my decision on how to proceed with him."

With a sly grin, Hemera suggested, "He would make a good lover, too, you know."

"I have no need for love," Nyx scoffed. "All it has brought me so far is misery and guilt."

"_You_ do not need to love him to make _him_ love you… if you know what I mean," Hemera added silkily.

Nyx thought it over for a moment, then chuckled darkly and said, "Yes, I know what you mean. I will keep that in mind. Love makes one weak, but no one ever complains about sex, and I know exactly why."

By this time, Nyx's skin had began to prune, and the water had cooled considerably. She reluctantly stepped out onto the cold floor and dried herself off with a fluffy green towel before slipping the white burial robe back on. She hoped that Tom would come through on his promise of new clothes; wearing the same thing for over 900 years was beginning to bore her.

She wandered out into the sitting area again and checked the clock. Tom would be arriving soon, so the vampire flopped onto the sofa and began perusing the schoolbooks he left for her to read. She already knew every formula in the book, but she picked out a few things from Tom's potions book to talk to him about. Pretending to be completely ignorant was more of a bother than she thought it would be.

Some time passed after she began reading until she felt Tom's distinct presence approaching the room. Nyx closed off her split personalities from her conscious mind to make sure that they didn't distract her. Being the alpha personality in their shared body, she was capable of controlling Erebus and Hemera quite efficiently. And since they had both been yapping away loudly while she was trying to talk to Tom that morning, she had realized how difficult it was to carry on three conversations at once, especially since two of them were mere figments of her imagination.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not.

**A/N:** Sorry this took so long to post. –flails- Life has sucked, more or less. We had to switch everything from our good computer to our crappy computer, which turns out to work a lot better anyway, because the good once basically had a fucked up operating system that needed to be re-installed. So that one is now the backup, and the formerly crappy one is now the good one because we now know that all of our games run twice as good because of the better processor and the better video card on this one. Go figure.

Also, in case you didn't know,I was in Washington, D.C., on my class trip form February 14th to the 18th. All I have to say is that D.C. is awesome and I want to go back like nobody's business. For one thing, I only got to see about 5 percent of the Smithsonian Institution because the people planning the trip were retarded and didn't give us enough time to look around properly, and that is a tragedy. There were a lot of other awesome things too, and seeing all the monuments and memorials was very cool. Unfortunately, my classmates do not have brains, and I was stuck with them 24/7. Needless to say, I yelled at a lot of people, and I would seriously love to throw most of them under a bus. These people should not be in the gene pool. It distresses me that they have the ability to procreate. Really.

Kudos to my lovely betas, Tiff and Shan.

**General Notes: **So. Nyx is a schizophrenic. Fun times! For the OKoE readers, Erebus is basically the Beast before he and Nyx stopped getting along. She changed his name when she got mad at him, which happens after this part of the story ends. Their names are significant because I'm a dork. Nyx was the Greek goddess of night. Erebus, her brother, was the Greek god of darkness. Hemera, Nyx's daughter, was the Greek goddess of day. Seeing a theme here? (Throw in the fact that I freely admit my dorkiness and it'll all be okay.)

RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU CORRECTLY PREDICTED WHO NYX'S DADDY WAS! I can't wait to see the reaction to this. –dances- A lot of people actually did guess it correctly, so maybe it was more obvious than I thought? I hope not. Oh, and by the way, it's not incest if you're separated by like 50 generations through your half-brother. If it was, we wouldn't have a story, would we?

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**---** **k**avi - **s**ama **---**


	4. Wish

**Gemini**

Prologue to The Other Kind of Evil

**Chapter 4. **Wish

"_W__ish there was something real, wish there was something true.  
Wish there was something real in this world full of you.  
I want to but I can't turn back.__"_

_- _"Wish" © Nine Inch Nails

Three weeks drifted by as a peculiar change took place in the relationship between Nyx and Tom. Each had originally been simply curious about the other; Tom was interested in a girl who had lived alongside his ancestor Salazar Slytherin, and Nyx was interested in a boy who was her half-brother's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-and-then-some-grandson.

It was an eerie feeling for her to meet a relative a thousand years after her family slipped away from her for good. Her fascination with Tom grew exponentially as he spent more time with her. He was very much like her father – a distressing thought, in Nyx's opinion – but also like her little brother, Vincent, whom he was directly descended from. That, of course, meant that he had a lot in common with her, too. After Nyx's mother died when she was eight years old, Salazar married her younger sister, and Vincent was born nine months later. She couldn't help but wonder just how similar Tom would be to Salazar, so all she could do was watch and slowly earn his trust.

Tom's views on Nyx were almost exactly the same. He still found it hard to believe that he was an arm's length away from a thousand-year-old-vampire. It was a thought that sometimes made him feel extremely uncomfortable, but Nyx's potential was worth the strain on his nerves. She was far more intelligent than he could have ever guessed, and he was a little worried that she might be as smart as him. Knowing that she was powerful, brilliant, and not too hard on the eyes made Tom extremely protective of his "prize," as he liked to think. He took every measure to keep her safely hidden in the Room of Requirement, make sure she was comfortable, and prevent boredom from setting in.

He brought her new books almost every day, and she tore through them with unimaginable speed. He spent almost all of his free time with her, when they had in-depth discussions about everything from the advances in cauldron technology to the implications of new wizarding laws. Even when they weren't doing that, the Prefect stayed in the room with he and did his own work as she perused whatever new books he had just brought in, or if it was during the unpleasant daylight hours, Nyx slept. Tom had never met anyone who could satisfy his intellectual needs so well, and he loved every minute of it. He began to reconsider his plans to recruit Nyx as a pawn, and instead thought about using her as a sort of advisor.

Nyx, once again, had the same thoughts. During their lengthy discussions, she too was able to measure Tom's high IQ and she was just as impressed as he was with hers. Erebus still insisted that turning Tom into a pawn was the best way to go, since "a smart pawn is a useful pawn," but Hemera tried to convince Nyx that he would be much more valuable as an equal – or something close to it. Nyx wasn't sure if she liked that idea, but she thought that he was too good for "pawn-level" treatment.

Withholding judgment was the only reasonable option, so she simply waited and watched as she went on pretending to be oblivious. The main thing on Nyx's mind every day was how she could keep acting like what Tom taught her was new information. Erebus' knowledge-grabbing abilities were starting to become more of a curse than a blessing because Nyx had nearly made several enormous errors in front of Tom. If she started talking about something she wasn't supposed to know about, he would definitely suspect something. He was inconveniently sharp like that. As he taught her more about different things, Nyx had a harder and harder time remembering what she was supposed to know or not know, and it made talking to him rather stressful.

Erebus was quite insulted that Nyx thought his powers were a pain in the ass, so he refused to offer any advice on how to handle the situation. The only suggestion Hemera gave was to silence her counterpart permanently so that she would only remember what Tom had taught her, which Nyx refused to do. Erebus might have been an inconvenience at that point, but his abilities were too good to seal away in the back of her mind for good.

Tom was also having a bit of a dilemma. In every class, without fail, he noticed himself asking "why?" constantly. He didn't say anything out loud of course, but having Nyx around had made him notice a lot of things he had ignored up until then. Her childlike curiosity and sense of wonder at every new revelation was a source of constant satisfaction to him. Tom knew he didn't want children because they were noisy, messy, bothersome, and expensive, but Nyx was a good example of one of the few positive aspects of parenting, in his opinion.

He asked "why?" because he knew that Nyx would ask "why?" when he tried to explain it to her. If he couldn't explain it to himself, he would have to learn more so that he could understand it better. Even as he put forth so much extra effort towards his "project," he thought about the benefits less and less as the weeks wore on. He stopped thinking of it as "training my future right-hand-woman," or even as "taking care of my little pet."

As those three weeks passed, their curiosity had grown to fascination, and now it was nearing obsession. They had grown to be so fond of each other's company that they were increasingly unhappy while they were apart. It wasn't love, or even friendship. It was like they were both studying an experiment, and that experiment was each other. Neither was aware of it since they each thought that they had the upper hand, that they knew more than the other did, that they were the only ones who could succeed in taming or refining the other to suit their needs. Even Erebus, who saw no need to read Tom's thoughts any more, was unaware of his ulterior motives.

To make the situation even stranger, they both seriously considered seducing the other. Tom couldn't deny that he found Nyx very attractive, and Nyx couldn't deny that she really, really missed having a guy around for those lonely nights. They both knew it was too soon to turn on the charm full-blast, but they both secretly looked forward to the day they could start.

"_It's a good thing I can possess people, just in case he thinks he's too good for me_," Nyx thought, smirking at her own reflection in the bathroom mirror.

"When you actually learn how to do that, we'll see if you need to," Erebus said. "Now, try walking through the wall again."

Nyx took a deep breath and stepped forward. Thankfully, her body passed through the stone safely this time.

"It's so depressing that I'm a vampire who barely knows how to control her powers," Nyx sighed. "It just isn't right."

"That's why I'm teaching you how to do these things," Erebus replied patiently. "I got lucky when I was able to take another vampire's memories and figure out how they do things. Really, Nyx, you'd be helpless if it weren't for me."

Nyx laughed humorlessly. "Shut up and turn me into a bat again. I want to practice that next."

She felt a strange, numb, weightless sensation spread through her limbs; Erebus had possessed her temporarily. A warm pressure warned her to expect the transformation, and after a short and painful metamorphosis, Nyx was hovering in the air by flapping her leathery little wings.

This had become a daily routine for Nyx and her split personality. While Tom had classes to attend, or it got too late and he needed to sleep, the vampire needed to learn and practice using her abilities. Being in the stone coffin for so long had dulled her wits and made it impossible to perform even simple tasks, such as walking through walls, which she had failed miserably at two weeks before. Tom clearly had a healthy fear and respect for her since she was supposed to be a super-powerful vampire, and she felt pitiful and ashamed every time she remembered all the abilities that had worn out of her mind.

Erebus' job was to re-explain how to do these things, and when necessary, possess her and do it for her to give her an idea of what it should be like. Unlike Hemera, he was strong enough to take precedence over Nyx's consciousness, but he wasn't strong enough to do it by force. Nyx was determined to get her powers back no matter what, and in the past three weeks, that determination had paid off. The only things she had problems with now were transformations and possessions, which she hadn't had an opportunity to try yet.

Erebus returned her body to it's natural state, and just as Nyx was about to try for herself, she felt Tom's presence approaching. She rushed over to the sitting area and opened The Illustrated Guide to the Human Body to the circulatory system chapter and laid it on the low table in front of her as she took a seat in one of the black leather chairs. Starting a discussion about blood flow seemed like a good idea today, especially because it would give Nyx a chance to request another live squirrel for her to kill. Squirrel blood couldn't hold a candle to human blood, but she had no other choice. Tom insisted that she drink _some_ kind of blood after she stared at his neck for fifteen minutes straight, without blinking.

After a brisk knock, Tom sidled into the room and gave her a quiet smile, which she returned.

"Before you say anything, I can't stay for long tonight," he said as he dumped his book-laden school bag onto the floor next to his favorite chair. "I have a very lengthy and very detailed essay to write for Dumbledore, and I'll feel better if I get my research finished before I go to sleep."

Nyx looked visibly disappointed. "Oh, I see. You'll be going to the library, then?"

"Yes, but I have something to give you before I run off," he replied, smirking as he reached into his overstuffed bag. "I think you will be very pleased with it."

The vampire stood and tried to peer into the mess of books and parchment to see what he was retrieving, when he suddenly pulled out a set of rich, black and green robes, made with silk and velvet and trimmed in swirling silver embroidery. She uttered an impressed "ooooh" and reached out to examine the fabric.

"I promised I would find you some new clothes, and it obviously took a lot longer than I expected," Tom explained, handing the robes over to a very giddy Nyx.

"Did you steal these?" she asked bluntly.

"No," he replied slowly. "I… _saved_ them. Their old owner was going to throw them out anyway, so I offered to do it for her, and that's how I got them."

"Who in their right mind would just get rid of something this nice?" Nyx asked, looking absolutely in contempt of the last girl that wore the beautiful robes.

"A filthy rich, spoiled brat would," Tom muttered back, looking rather irked himself. Most of his fellow Slytherins were very rich, very over-privileged, very unappreciative, and very wasteful. Tom detested charity, but he usually wished that he could have all the nice things his housemates got bored with and tossed away. "Estelle Toussaint's birthday was yesterday, and her boyfriend, Abraxas Malfoy, bought her a new set of green robes. She liked those better since there were real emeralds sewn into the fabric, so she doesn't need these anymore. Luckily, she is about the same height as you are, but obviously I can't be sure about weight since it's none of my business. If they don't fit, I wrote down a few spells that will adjust them for you."

"Thank you very much," she said with a grin. "I'll try them on right away. They really are beautiful, and definitely an improvement over this bloody burial outfit. It's very depressing to always be dressed like you're going to your own funeral…"

Nyx wandered into the bathroom and pulled the door shut behind her. She spent a moment admiring the dark fabric against her marble-white skin before pulling off the top part of the thin burial robe. A white, silky something dropped onto the smooth, black floor at her feet. She picked it up and inspected it as Erebus saved her the trouble of asking what it was.

"That would be a brassiere, Nyx."

"Oh, yes, I remember you telling me about these foolish things," she replied in a quiet murmur. "Do I _**have**_ to wear it? It looks so…_uncomfortable_."

"I think you ought to try to live with it for now, at least until Tom leaves," Hemera said kindly. "You said you wanted to modernize, right?"

"Yes, I did…" Nyx grumbled.

"Then put it on and stop complaining," Erebus snapped.

The woman glowered at the frilly thing in her hand for several moments, before suddenly getting a wonderful, awful idea. Her face broke into a wide grin as she could practically feel her hair curling into devilish little horns. Nyx stepped back over to the door and calmly pushed it open to see the Prefect standing over the medical book, reading out of boredom.

"Tom, what the hell is _this_ thing?" she asked, mocking extreme confusion.

He turned and looked towards the bathroom door, and immediately regretted it when he got a full view of Nyx's clothes-free chest. He didn't even notice the bra in question, which she was holding up in one hand.

Tom immediately whirled around and glared at the fireplace, spluttering, "W-_**warn**_ me the next time you want to talk to me without a bloody shirt on!"

Nyx looked down at herself, and then at the back of Tom's head. "I'm sorry, I don't understand the problem here."

"The _problem_ is that I cannot speak to you if you are not _**decent**_," he replied through gritted teeth.

"What are you so nervous about?" she laughed lightly. "We're both mature adults, aren't we? I won't be offended if you stare at me."

"Define 'mature adult,'" Tom snapped. "I have a feeling that a 'mature adult' in 960 is quite a bit different than in 1942, especially if it allows you to be so…um…confident, for lack of a better word."

"Back in my day, as soon as a child became sexually developed, they were officially a mature adult," Nyx explained matter-of-factly. "And by those standards, _you_ qualify as a mature adult."

Tom turned his head a degree and peeked cautiously out of the corner of his eye. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?" he asked with a bit of an edge in his voice.

"Vampires like me can sense blood flow," she said calmly, hiding her huge smile very well. "It helps us know where to bite because that's _where a lot of blood is going_."

Tom's eyes became very wide when he realized what she was getting at. He glanced downwards and saw that she certainly wasn't joking.

"Oh, that's fucking _**great**_…" he mumbled under his breath, desperately trying to think of how he could deal with the increasingly awkward situation.

"Don't worry about it," Nyx said cheerfully. "I'll take it as a compliment."

"Just go put some clothes on!" he snapped, feeling his face turn red with embarrassment. Tom sat down on the chair that wasn't facing Nyx and pulled his knees up to his chin. He started repeating the mantra "think about Quidditch" in his head as he tried to forget that he'd seen his "prize" half-naked, and that he had rather liked what he saw…

_No! Quidditch, Quidditch, Quidditch, Quidditch, Quidditch…_

…they _were_ pretty big, though…

_NO! I said think about Quidditch! **Quidditch**, I tell you!_

…they looked like they would make nice pillows…

_GOD DAMN IT! DO AS I TELL YOU, BRAIN!_

"Do you need help with that?"

Tom almost jumped out of his skin. "_**What**_?!"

"I asked if you needed help with that," Nyx repeated. Mercifully, she was fully clothed in her new robes. …Unfortunately, they were very flattering. "I can re-route your circulation for you, if you want."

"O-oh… right. Uh… Please do," Tom stammered.

Nyx grabbed his hand and placed her fingertips on his thin wrist, directly above the pulse point. She closed her eyes and concentrated as the Prefect nervously waited for something to happen, hoping that the situation wouldn't get any worse. He slowly noticed that his blood was moving at a strange pace, and his heartbeat was following suit. He started feeling lightheaded as soon as he realized that Nyx was drawing his blood upwards, but he also noticed that his…"awkward problem" was gone.

The vampire released his wrist and opened her eyes, giving him a peculiar look. Tom let his legs stretch out now that he had nothing to hide with them and stared back at Nyx through an uncomfortable silence.

"What?" he asked tentatively.

"You get worked up very easily, don't you?" Nyx asked, smirking. "Was that the first time you've ever seen boobs?"

Tom gaped at her. "…I am _**not**_ having this conversation with you."

"Why not? You know I can't possibly tell anyone what you say or do because I don't know anyone besides you," she argued.

"Why on earth are you so bloody interested?" Tom asked, half disgusted and half astonished at her boldness.

Nyx replied, "I thought you might be able to cope with it a little better if you just admit that you're a virgin and –"

"_All right, that's it!_" he half yelled, rising to his feet and stomping over to his bag, which he roughly hoisted over his shoulder. "I have work to do, and I have no patience for this kind of rudeness!"

"When you come back, can you bring me another squirrel? I'm thirsty," the vampire asked sweetly as Tom stomped over to the door.

"Get your own damn squirrels! You'll be lucky if I come back at all!"

He slammed the door behind him and stalked down the hall, furious with himself and with Nyx.

"_What the hell is wrong with her?"_ he thought. _"I can't believe someone from the Middle Ages could be so…so…perverted! I thought people were generally ignorant of things like that, or at least they never talked about them! …damn her, why couldn't I control myself?"_

Tom's thoughts trailed on as he entered the library and sat down at his usual small table. Blocked by a few bookcases, it was the most private part of the library, and he found that he was rarely ever disturbed because it was quiet and few people ever wanted to go near the biography section. He _definitely_ needed to be alone tonight.

He couldn't get the image of her out of his head, no matter how hard he tried. Every time he saw her or heard her in his thoughts, he became angrier and more frustrated. Nyx was making him crazy and he couldn't stop it. He didn't want to. Tom knew he was attracted to her because of her intelligence, and now he knew that she really was beautiful in his eyes. But he firmly believed that love was a weakness that he could not afford, so he forced himself to continue pushing Nyx from his mind. He didn't think there was any chance of him loving her, but he wanted to be sure that he remembered his plans to have her serve him later on.

But Nyx had already done her damage, and done it perfectly. Tom's reaction to her little performance showed her without a doubt that she could control him, whether he liked it or not. And when he returned to the Room of Requirement the next morning, Nyx could see that she hadn't left his mind since the night before.

"_1942 is a much more interesting year than I thought it would be."

* * *

_

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not.

**A/N:** Sorry again for the delays. At least it was a "Too Busy" problem and not a "Writer's Block" problem. And yay me because I turned 17 about a week and a half ago! Even more yay for birthdays that have practically no fanfare attached to them! Turning 18 is gonna suck. I hate it how people always assume that the moment I have the legal right to do something, I'm going to automatically go out and do it just for the sake of doing it, and because I'm allowed to. Like getting my driving permit the day I turned 16; I STILL don't have it and I saw no merit in getting it that day, either. I'm not gonna go hit a porn shop the day I turn 18, either, and I do know someone who did, actually. I'm also not gonna get wasted on my 21st birthday because that's just retarded. Plus I'll be in college and I'll likely have to get up for class the next morning anyway, and I won't want to deal with a hangover.

…okay, I'm done ranting. Kudos to my lovely betas, Tiff and Shan.

**General Notes: **As my past readers are well aware, I tend to repeat things a LOT. That's my way of making it easier for you to remember things because I know it's a pain in the neck to go back and reread the previous chapter because it's been two weeks between posts. I apologize if it's annoying because you personally have a memory like a steel trap, but I myself have a terrible memory and sympathize more with people like me.

Don't you want to just slap the two of them? They're too smart, manipulative, and damned evil for their own good. But, hey, that's what makes life interesting around here. Incidentally, going along with all the repetition, when I say that each of them did or thought the same thing about the other one, I'm emphasizing that Nyx and Tom are like twins because they're so goddamn similar – hence the title, Gemini, which astonishingly means "twins." (a.k.a. I am a huge dork, and I will get dorkier still.) And they're both vain enough to only like people like themselves, but they're arrogant enough to always think that they're better than the other one, no matter how similar they are.

I have no personal hatred of squirrels, mind you. I certainly don't like them, but I don't have a grudge against them. I just think they make good blood donors, and I can see Nyx enjoying herself thoroughly by chasing them around and catching them like the little animal she is. (Sorry, Shanny. I know you love them.)

Nyx's new hand-me-down robes are a jab at the spoiled bitches I go to school with. They act like Estelle, and then some. I no longer place any value on human life whatsoever because of them. If they even _**have**_ brains, they aren't advanced enough to know how to use them. They have no appreciation for anything beyond Starbucks and Chanel and whatever other bullshit they worship day and night. I detest them with every amino acid in my body.

HEEHEEHEE. TOM LIKES BOOBS. A _**LOT**_. And Nyx is a really, really mean person. XD At least she has fun, and she's not uptight, unlike other people we know, who aren't comfortable admitting their virginity. -titter- Incidentally, I can't imagine a non-virgin teenage Voldemort. I think his standards are too high for him to even have a fuckbuddy, let alone someone he actually gives a shit about. The previously-mentioned Estelle almost got him to sleep with her in the past, because I envision her as the school's resident slut, and also a devoted early-Bellatrix-Lestrange-esque Death Eater. Even though she's Abraxas' girlfriend, she would have wanted the pride of having screwed the Heir of Slytherin. Tom, however, would have flat-out rejected her because he already knew that she had been with every other eligible male in the 5th year and up, and who knows what she could have caught from them. (I forget if I have Tom scripted to tell Nyx about this in a future chapter, but either way, you know now.)

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**---** **k**avi - **s**ama **---**


	5. We're In This Together

**Gemini**

Prologue to The Other Kind of Evil

**Chapter 5. **We're In This Together

"_You and me – we're in this together now. None of them can stop us now. We will make it through somehow.  
You and me – even after everything, you're the queen and I'm the king. Nothing else means anything.__"_

_- _"We're In This Together" © Nine Inch Nails

Tom was confused. Tom _**hated**_ being confused. Thinking about it for a whole month hadn't given him any ideas, so his hopes of being un-confused any time soon were diminishing. Even after knowing Nyx for four weeks (and thinking about her constantly during the past several days), he still couldn't figure out what she was doing in that coffin. Clearly Slytherin had something to do with it since his mark was embedded in the stone itself, but what? What reason did Slytherin have to be so interested in Nyx? What connection was there?

"_Being a vampire is clearly a strength of hers,"_ Tom thought. _"But I do not see how that would be enough… There must be something else to her… Something she might not want to reveal…"_

He wondered if Slytherin had purposely left Nyx in the coffin for his Heir to find. That would easily explain why Tom was able to find and awaken her. Perhaps finding Nyx was like finding the Chamber of Secrets, and the basilisk. Tom already knew that controlling the giant serpent would enable him to kill off anyone he didn't think should be at the school, and no one would ever know he was behind it because he wasn't the one actually doing the killing. Was Nyx destined to become another tool for him to use to reach his goals?

Tom saw the logic in the idea, but a small part of him protested. He still thought that Nyx was 'better' than a simple pawn, and putting her in the same category as the basilisk was just as bad. Perhaps she was supposed to work alongside him as an equal, aiding him when he needed it and stepping back when he didn't. That theory was much more pleasing to him; Tom had learned to admit that he was still extremely attracted to Nyx, and for a change, he truly did want to treat her nicely and make her happy. Up until now, his kindness had only been a mask for his more selfish motives, but he had grown to actually care a little about her.

Tom felt himself shiver uncomfortably. It made him sick to think that he "cared" about anyone else. He had convinced himself that friends were useless and provided a weak spot for his enemies to exploit. Lovers were even worse. Besides, no one could possibly live up to his high standards of worthiness… except Nyx, of course.

The Slytherin Prefect pushed all of that from his mind as he approached the Room of Requirement. After pacing in front of the blank wall three times, the door appeared. By now, he had gotten used to the fact that even though Nyx was inside, the door would vanish and re-appear when he left. Tom stepped into the room and was surprised to see Nyx dashing out of the bathroom and slamming the door shut behind her.

Standing with her back to the wood, and one hand firmly glued to the handle, she said, "E-evening, Tom. How was your day?"

"It was alright," he replied evasively as he routinely dropped his bag into the chair. "What's wrong?"

"Wrong? What makes you think something's wrong?" Nyx asked in an unusually high voice.

"You're guarding the bathroom like you're hiding a body in there," he said, laughing. "Or possibly a boyfriend."

The vampire stared at him nervously, opening and closing her mouth although no words were coming to her. "I…I-I…" she stammered. "Th-there was an accident. It couldn't be helped. It happened so fast, there was nothing I could…"

Tom took a deep breath and prepared for something unpleasant. She seemed serious, and he could only wonder what would unnerve a vampire this much. "What is in the bathroom, Nyx?" he asked calmly.

She took him by the wrist and pulled him into the black marble room, gesturing at the large bathtub. "Him."

Lying in the tub was the pale, dead body of a young boy wearing Gryffindor robes. He seemed to be a first year.

Tom's eyes widened as he gaped at the deep puncture wounds on the boy's skinny neck, two on each side. "Oh, _**shit**_."

"That about sums it up," Nyx said quietly.

Tom suddenly rounded on her, furious. "What were you _**thinking**_?" he shouted. "I don't care how thirsty you were, you have to be completely _stupid_ to think you could get away with killing a student!"

"I told you it was an _accident_!" Nyx shouted back. "I sensed someone walking back and forth in the hall, and I _thought_ it was you. Apparently this is the only accessible room as long as I'm in here because this kid walked right in on me. I panicked and locked him in when he tried to escape – he was screaming like crazy, too, because I'm sure he saw my fangs – and he used some kind of curse on me, but he missed. I tried possessing him to make him forget that he saw me, but it didn't work. It's been so long since I possessed anyone that I just couldn't keep a hold on his mind.

"And… when that failed… I don't know what came over me, but… I went into some kind of frenzy, and all I could think about was how small and weak he was, and how warm he was when I touched him, and all that nice, fresh blood inside him…"

Nyx trailed off, staring at the boy's neck longingly. Tom cleared his throat as her eyes started to turn scarlet, and she snapped out of it, to his relief.

"Um, anyway," she continued quietly. "When I came to my senses again, he was inescapably dead. I just finished cleaning up the blood when you came in – and by cleaning, I mean drinking every last drop of it. Before you tell me I'm repulsive, let me remind you that you're a human, and you have no idea how heavenly AB positive tastes. Oh, how I wish I could have that stuff every day…"

Tom swallowed hard as he tried not to imagine just how wonderful it tasted. "Accident or not, you should have been able to control yourself better. I know you're sick of squirrel blood but even though this kid shouldn't have been in here, that didn't give you the right to drain him."

"I can't believe you!" Nyx exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "You really think I intended to kill this boy as soon as he walked in? I tried _damn_ hard to avoid hurting him, but when a vampire hasn't had anything _decent_ to drink in a month, she goes into a bloodthirsty rage and kills the first thing she sees. If you can't understand how impossible it is to resist that kind of urge, then I'll gladly make you one of us so you can experience it for yourself."

"But if you had just thought of the consequences –" he protested.

"_I **did**_!" she shrieked. "The boy will be reported missing, the school will be searched, and I will be found and charged with murder! I have a hell of a lot more to worry about than you do because _**you**_ are not the one who ate a student!"

"Then how are you going to fix the situation so that doesn't happen?" he demanded.

"_**I'm**_ going to fix it?" Nyx's voice rose to a high pitch again. "Oh _**hell**_ no. We're in this together now, Tommy boy, whether you like it or not! I can get the body into the forest and make it look like he was torn apart by wild animals, but I can't find a new place for me to hide by myself. That's where _you_ come in. I cannot stay in here any longer; if I was found once, I can be found again, and we don't need to repeat this situation if we can avoid it."

Tom stared at her for a long while, seething with indignation that he had been dragged into this mess, until he finally relented with a heavy sigh. "…alright. What do you need me to do?"

---------------------------------------------------------------

Three cloaked and hooded figures crept out of a side door and across the snowy moonlit lawn towards rows of dark evergreens. The tallest, Tom, remained at the rear, constantly on the lookout for someone who might see them. The shortest staggered along in front of him, led by Nyx, who was somewhere between the other two in height. She was focused on two things; getting past the tree line and out of sight, and concentrating on the spell she used to turn the corpse into a puppet. Making the boy seem alive was the only safe way to get him out of the castle, and his motions were convincing albeit a little jerky.

The distance to the forest seemed tortuously long, but they finally made it in. Neither Nyx nor Tom spoke until they were well out of sight of the school.

"That went well, don't you think?" Nyx asked cheerfully. "Now we'll just have to remember to cover our tracks when we come back."

Tom nodded. "I think there ought to be a clearing up ahead. We can leave him there."

"Oh! Perfect!" she suddenly gasped, looking up into the snow-laced trees. Before her partner in crime could ask what she saw, the vampire leapt upwards and out of sight.

The little corpse crumpled and slumped to the ground pitifully, its stolen cloak pooling around it like dark blood in the whiteness. Tom edged away from it; bodies always made him uncomfortable. He wished Nyx could have taken care of this on her own and left him inside to figure out what to do with her. He had no qualms about killing people, and he certainly understood why they needed to pin the blame on someone or something besides Nyx. She wasn't ashamed of what she did, just like he was proud to have murdered his father and grandparents. Tom had to frame his uncle, however, because like Nyx, he had too much at stake to be caught. He would just prefer to leave their corpses alone once he finished them off, that's all.

Every time he remembered his father's body lying at his own feet, he felt a sickness welling up inside him, and all he could see was himself in his father's place. It happened every time he saw a dead person, and as much as he wanted to get away from the dead little Gryffindor, he had to endure it. Nyx would think he was a complete coward and an idiot for being afraid of a harmless corpse. Being a vampire, she obviously saw death all the time, because that was how she fed herself. Just as he couldn't understand her thirst for blood, she couldn't possibly understand his fear of death.

Nyx dropped to the ground beside him, landing nimbly on her feet with a soft crunch. Tom asked irritably, "What the hell was that all about?"

She held up four squirrels, wriggling and squirming in her hands. "I can't make it look like the boy died here if there's no blood."

"You think of everything, don't you?" he asked, smirking.

"I try my best," she replied. The corpse staggered along a few feet in front of her as she approached the clearing in the trees, where it ground to a halt as Nyx paralyzed the squirrels and left them on the grass.

Tom watched with a mix of fascination and disgust as Nyx did her work. She took off her stolen shoes and forced her fingernails and toenails to extend into long, razor-like claws. Throwing her cloak to Tom and tying the long skirt up at knee-level, Nyx perched awkwardly on her toes and began slashing away at the first-year's body. She planned each strike carefully to make it look like the boy had seriously provoked something very dangerous and aggressive. Nyx also made sure to leave some fake defensive wounds on his hands to make it look like he fought back before he died. She made sure to jump around and paw at the snow to simulate the "wild beast" that killed the boy. Once she was satisfied with her handiwork, the vampire let the ragged corpse fall to the ground with a light thud. She carved up the squirrels and used their blood like an artist to re-create the pooling and splattering she was so familiar with.

"There," she said as she backed away from her gory handiwork. "How does that look?"

Tom searched for the right words to describe the sight of a small boy covered in gashes and squirrel blood that glistened in the half-moon's light. "It's very… convincing."

"Hooray! Success!" Nyx cheered as she clapped for herself, but quickly stopped to lick the blood off of her hands.

As she pranced off towards the school, Tom felt a very humbling sense of awe at Nyx's power. Whether the boy was dead or not, her claws cut through him like a hot knife through butter. He was sure that she had been restraining herself, too, otherwise the body would have fallen apart into six pieces. Tom was disturbed by how small and weak he felt compared to Nyx, especially now that he was so wrapped up in her.

Up ahead, Tom saw Nyx suddenly freeze and turn to her left, staring at a large patch of black shadows, just before a twig snapped loudly.

"Who's there?" a booming voice demanded.

"I would like to ask _you_ the same thing," Tom said in a low, threatening tone as the tip of his wand ignited.

The soft light illuminated a huge, bulky figure with a surprisingly boyish face. The Slytherin relaxed a little because he seemed to recognize the stranger, although he did not look happy to see him.

"What are you doing out here at this hour, Hagrid?" he demanded.

The one called Hagrid shifted nervously and spluttered a bit, searching for an excuse, when something dark the size of a basketball scurried past his feet. Nyx whipped her wand out and lit it before tugging on Tom's sleeve excitedly and cooing, "Lookit the ickle baby Acromantula! Isn't it _**adorable**_? Aww, it's all fuzzy and cute…"

Hagrid gawked at her as she bent down and held out her hand and said, "Come here, lil' fella, I wanna give you a hug!"

Tom grabbed her wrist and yanked her to her feet. "If that even _**is**_ an Acromantula – which I doubt – they're extremely venomous and you'd be completely mad to go anywhere near one. …Which begs the question, 'why do _you_ have one'?"

He gave Hagrid a very menacing look, which was cut rather short when Nyx asked cheerily, "So who are you again? And why are you here? You're much too old to be a student."

"Me name's Rubeus Hagrid, an' actually I'm a thir' year," Hagrid replied a little sheepishly.

The vampire gaped at him and gasped, "Holy baby Jesus, what did they _feed_ you?"

"Er…" he murmured. "Me mum was…a…giantess…"

"Well that certainly explains it," she chuckled. Tom coughed and shifted uncomfortably next to her. She ignored him and continued, "I guess you're lucky to have a giant's strength and stamina, and a human's less violent temperament. Plus you have great taste in pets. Good on ya, mate!"

"Er, thanks, I guess," he replied as she slapped him on the arm jovially.

Nyx grinned at Tom and said happily, "I made a friend!"

"Wonderful," he drawled. "I _still_ haven't gotten an explanation of why he has an Acromantula, or why he's out here after hours. If the explanations are less-than-satisfactory, I think a few point deductions and a detention are in order."

"Obviously he has an Acromantula because he has connections," Nyx said, rolling her eyes at him. "And obviously, he's out here taking the dear little thing for a walk."

Hagrid quickly interjected, "Yeh, tha's about righ'."

"Ignoring that nonsense, I am a Prefect and I have no choice but to report him and see that he is reprimanded accordingly," Tom said with a straight face, but Nyx could hear the delight in his tone.

"Oh, come now, Tom, he wasn't hurting anyone," the vampire protested, putting her arm around his shoulder and digging her nails into his arm. "I'm sure if we agree to forget that we saw him out here, _he'll forget he saw us out here too_."

The half-giant nodded emphatically. "I promise I will!"

"See?" Nyx asked sweetly, grinning extra wide so that Tom could see her long, pointed fangs. "Now let's go back where we're supposed to be and pretend this never happened. Okay?"

Tom tried very hard not to wince as her nails pressed down extra hard. "Yeah, fine. Great."

Nyx released her grip and went to shake Hagrid's hand politely. "Well, my friend, it was very nice meeting you and your adorable little pet. Maybe we'll run into each other again sometime in the future."

"You too," he replied, looking at her like she was a lunatic as he shook her hand awkwardly.

As soon as Nyx showed signs of wanting to tell the spider goodbye, Tom grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her away. Once they were out of earshot, he hissed under his breath, "Filthy half-breed twit…"

"What was that?" Nyx asked, feeling her temper spike a little.

"I said he's a filthy half-breed twit," Tom snapped. "I don't know how you could act so pleasant around him, but it was very convincing. You should become an actress."

She stopped walking and asked sharply, "If he's a filthy half-breed twit, what does that make _**me**_?"

Tom slowed to a halt and closed his eyes. Of all the people to say that to, he just _had_ to say it to the vampire.

"If you presume to say that I am somehow worth less than you are because I am not fully human, I will rip your fucking throat out," she growled, giving him an icy glare as she stalked over to look him in the eyes. "Not that it would taste very good, _**half-blood**_."

Tom's eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open as he felt his stomach plummet. If she wanted to jar him that badly, she should have just slapped him.

"How do you know about that?" he whispered, horror-stricken.

"Why does it matter how I know?" Nyx scoffed. "I don't give a damn whether you're a pureblood, a half-blood, or even a mudblood. But if you keep sneering down at everyone else because they're not purebloods – whether it's magical or racial – I will continue to remind you that _you're not one to talk_.

"I'm not criticizing you for your Pureblood Pride. It's just the fact that you don't actually _have_ pure blood that bothers me. Being proud of yourself is something I advocate very strongly, but would you please stick to things you can actually back up?"

With that, Nyx turned away and continued walking towards the open grounds. Tom stood there for a long time, frozen to the spot.

How _**dare**_ she speak to him that way! No one in their right mind would _**ever**_ say something so insulting to him. Tom was absolutely boiling with rage. "_What makes that bitch think she can talk down to me? If she only knew who I am and what I'm capable of, she'd have a little more respect._"

His long, pale fingers were still tightly wrapped around his wand; he wanted to curse her into next month for all the trouble she had caused him, from taking up all of his precious free time, to humiliating him, to getting him involved in a homicide, to finally having the nerve to call him "half-blood" right to his face. No one had ever gotten him this angry; not even his father, whom he had killed with cold efficiency.

"…_wait a minute_," he thought. "_Vampires live for a long time, but they can still be killed… That would make things a lot easier for me… I wonder where I can find a stake, or some holy water…"_

Tom started playing out the scenario in his head. He would wait until Nyx was asleep, disarm her and hit her with a full-body-binding charm, and then do her in before she knew what was going on. Unlike the little Gryffindor, no one knew her. No one would miss her. No one would look for her. She had stayed in the Room of Requirement for a thousand years without being found; her corpse could stay in there until it rotted for all he cared.

A sudden harsh, ripping noise brought him back to reality. Nyx had caught herself a rabbit and was now sucking it dry with ravenous delight; apparently the first-year didn't have enough blood in him to satisfy her appetite.

Tom felt his stomach do a little flip as he resigned himself to the fact that attacking her would be suicide. No matter how proficient he was with his wand, Nyx had a certain amount of resistance to spells, and she could also rip him a new asshole at any given moment. The vampire would never give him the chance to speak if he ever tried to curse her. She valued him for the help he offered, but Nyx was clever; she could get by without him. Nothing would stop her from killing him if he provoked her enough.

Risking his life to end hers just wasn't worth it. It shamed him to admit it, but Tom simply couldn't beat her.

"_But, I remember what someone once said about a situation like this_," he thought, smiling to himself. "_'If you can't beat 'em, join 'em_.'"

Tom felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction at his new idea. If he too became a vampire, that would certainly get him as close to immortality as possible, as quickly as possible, and as easily as possible. He still didn't know how to make a Horcrux, and he would need to kill a few more people before he had the seven he wanted, and that would cost him time and probably a good deal of discomfort when he ripped his soul apart. Even though seeing Nyx munch on a little bunny made him sick, he could see himself enjoying it if he were in her place. He also reminded himself that vampires do not produce their own blood since they drink the blood of other's. Being able to remove every last drop of Muggle blood in his body to replace it with pure blood was the most beautiful and wonderful concept he had ever dreamed up.

He finally felt that he understood why he was able to find Nyx; she was supposed to help him carry out Slytherin's legacy as his Heir, to help him rid the world of all those who were unfit to live in it, and to assist him on his quest for immortality.

Tom optimistically wondered if there was anything else Nyx was meant to do to make his life any better. As he watched her lick the blood off of her hands and face, he got more than a few lewd ideas of things she could do for him. Any of the hatred he felt towards her moments ago was long gone by now; Tom was more determined than ever to win Nyx's loyalty and trust because he was so convinced that that was how it was meant to be, and that was exactly the way he wanted it.

Nyx was having similar thoughts, except their roles were reversed. She had also wondered why her father wanted her to meet Tom, and now she was certain that she knew; to teach him. He was still very young, very inexperienced, and very ignorant. Nyx knew how to make things work out in her favor in ways that he would never imagine, and she knew she was doing him a favor by telling him when he was screwing up.

Making Tom realize his inherent weaknesses and how to compensate for them would prevent future errors in his grandiose plans. His overconfidence, for example, could very well get him killed if he underestimated the wrong person. Making him feel three inches tall and weaker than tissue paper would help him understand why too much confidence would make him vulnerable, unless he had something totally foolproof in his own defense. Tom could be as confident and arrogant as he liked when he actually had those Horcruxes and he couldn't be killed with one curse. It was really very simple, but Nyx could see that he needed to hear it from someone that really _**was**_ superior to him before he truly listened.

Nyx accepted the fact that Tom was the Heir and she was not, and that he would probably want to carry out Slytherin's "noble cause." She agreed with her father that certain people need to be removed from the gene pool, but she hoped that she could convince Tom to kill off the ones who really, truly deserved it. Nyx never had anything against Muggles or their culture. On the contrary, she found their lack of magical conveniences fascinating, and their blood had a refreshingly different taste to it. Exterminating the Muggles was a stupid idea, in her opinion, because their amusing little inventions would go with them, and she would be forced to drink magical blood all the time. Killing off all of the stupid people in the world, on the other hand, sounded like a fantastic idea. Hopefully Tom would agree with her.

"Well, Hemera, this is turning out to be quite the show," Erebus whispered, even though Nyx was no longer listening to them now that she was so wrapped up in her own thoughts.

"Indeed it is," she replied, giggling. "They both think they have the upper hand in every single way… It's so funny to have such arrogant, manipulative, self-centered people fighting for control over each other!"

"I think we ought to lay low for a little while and just see what happens," he added. "My money is on Nyx. She has a nasty habit of succeeding whenever she puts her mind to something."

"I have to disagree," Hemera replied. "Nyx is smarter than Tom, but she's helpless when it comes to sex, as you well know."

Erebus gagged. "Don't remind me. It's difficult enough being surrounded by women constantly. I don't need Nyx to start screwing anyone again. The first time was completely _**horrifying**_…"

"You have my pity, Erebus, but if Tom starts seducing her like he plans to, I think she might succumb," she said, grinning. "After all, she already did the calculations. Judging by his weight, height, and blood volume, Tom definitely has a positively enormous –"

"Don't you _**dare**_ say it! I'll puke!"

" – set of lungs. Which means he can sing like nobody's business, and that's romantic."

Erebus twitched. "Well, clearly Tom is in the same boat as she is. All Nyx needs to do is take her shirt off again and he'll melt into a puddle. We should keep his feelings for her a secret, though, or we'll ruin the fun."

"Amen to that," Hemera laughed. "It gets so boring in here when there's nothing interesting to watch outside."

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not.

**A/N:** Hooray for me because I'm in the midst of a writing binge right now, and I've hand-written about 7-8 pages (college-ruled looseleaf, back and front) of notes on chapters 11 through 16 (or was it 17?) and I'm ready and willing to do more. It certainly makes those boring classes fly by, and my hand actually doesn't hurt a bit. XD I haven't had a chance to type any of it yet but I want to get all my ideas out on paper while they're bouncing around in my skull, and while I have the time. I have a remarkably poor memory (Juvenile Alzheimer's! Aaagh!) so I've decided that this is the only way to go, and it should save a ton of time in the long run. (I wrote out most of the major events and dialogue anyway, including a very nice monologue by Nyx.)

Kudos to my lovely betas, Tiff and Shan.

**General Notes: **This is the longest chapter so far, and it's still only 4500 words long. –weeps with joy-

What's this? Voldemort _taking orders from someone else_? Next thing you know, he'll be prancing around handing out daisies and singing "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts" while playing a harmonica. …heehee.

I have to sympathize with him, though. I have a terrible fear of corpses (I'm a mess at a wake) and zombies (shut the hell up, I think it could happen), so Tom isn't the only one who would be freaked out by Nyx possessing the little dead kid. (How I write things that freak me out is beyond me…)

"_Killing off all of the stupid people in the world, on the other hand, sounded like a fantastic idea."_ I agree with this statement whole-heartedly. It dawned on me while I was at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., a few weeks ago. It's wrong to kill people who don't deserve it or because you "just don't like them," like Hitler was wrong to kill the Jews and other "undesirables," as he called them. BUT! If Hitler had killed all the stupid people (and by stupid, I mean _**irreparably**_ stupid; ignorance can be fixed with education, but stupidity is forever) in the world, he'd be the hero instead of the villain. It sounds harsh, but I refuse to associate with people that either present themselves as stupid, or really _are_ stupid. They aren't worth my time or energy because they probably won't be good for much in the future, and they're probably lousy company as they are. Hence why I, like Nyx and Tom, am extremely selective about the few friends that I have, and why I can honestly tell people, "don't call yourself stupid; you're my friend, and I don't make friends with stupid people." (I really did tell someone that once. It was K-Hat, if you know who that is. XD) That's my two cents, anyway.

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**---** **k**avi - **s**ama **---**


	6. Twist

**Gemini**

Prologue to The Other Kind of Evil

**Chapter 6. ****Twist**

"_Fear not for the future, weep not for the past.__"_

_- _Percy Bysshe Shelley

"We still have a problem, Tom," Nyx said.

"I didn't forget," he replied, sounding slightly insulted that she thought otherwise. "You cannot stay in the Room of Requirement any longer, but I still can't think of a single place where you would be unnoticed – and comfortable, of course."

The vampire smirked as she leaned against a snow-draped evergreen. They were stalled at the tree line thirty yards from the castle as they tried to solve their final dilemma. Disposing of the first-year Gryffindor's corpse had been the _easy_ part of the night.

"Anywhere hidden and secure would be fine, even if I have to sleep in a broom closet," she said, folding her arms. "I can adjust my habits to fit my environment rather well, and I wouldn't be confined _**all**_ the time. I'll have to go out at night to eat if you can't risk bringing food to me anymore. I'll have time to stretch my legs and entertain myself then."

Tom considered her side of the discussion. The only absolutely hidden and secure place in the school was the Chamber of Secrets, but that was out of the question. For one thing, he had no intention of revealing that he was the Heir just yet. Nyx needed to warm up to him a bit more before he took that step. Secondly, if she and the basilisk didn't get along, he would be in big trouble. He needed both the vampire and the giant serpent to assist him in ridding the world of Muggles and other undesirables. Tom was certain that in the confined space, one would kill the other, and he didn't want to choose sides since _he_ could end up dead, too, if he offended the wrong one.

"What if you stayed here, in the forest?" he suggested. "No one is supposed to be in here anyway, and none of the creatures that live here would stand a chance against you. There's plenty of food, privacy, and space for you to roam around in…"

"There's also a dead body we planted in here which will make it impossible for me to stay if they decide to search the forest," Nyx shot back.

"Good point," he muttered, feeling stupid. "Do _you_ have any ideas?"

"If you ran out of ideas that quickly, I doubt _I'll_ have much better luck," she said, rolling her eyes. "I suppose there's one thing I could do, but I'll need your consent for it."

Tom raised an eyebrow as Nyx relaxed her limbs and closed her eyes. A puff of black smoke obscured her for a moment, and he was befuddled to see that she had disappeared. He jumped a foot in the air when Nyx's disembodied voice rang in his ears unnaturally loud: "Say hello to your new pet!"

He looked again at the dissipating cloud of smoke and saw a dark little bat hovering where Nyx had been standing.

"…it would have been nice if you had just done that in the first place," he grumbled. "Obviously no one would question a pet bat, and obviously that would allow you to go with me wherever I went and no one would think anything of it."

"I can hide in your pocket, too. Or your bag, if that would be a little too awkward," she said, squeaking with laughter.

"You're speaking through telepathy, right?" Tom asked, massaging his temple. "Could you possibly tone it down a bit? I'll be deaf by the age of thirty if you keep that up."

"Is this better?"

"Yes, much."

Erebus applauded Nyx's precise control over her transformed state. "It took you long enough to catch on."

"Pipe down, you," Nyx replied silently as another puff of smoke heralded her return to human form. "I told you to shut up while I'm talking to him, didn't I?"

"That's a helpful trick," Tom commented, smiling. "Doesn't it hurt?"

"It did at first, but that's because I wasn't doing it quite right," she replied sheepishly. "After not using them for so long, most of my abilities went rusty. You won't have to worry about me screwing up that transformation, though. I've been practicing for weeks."

"That's a relief," he chuckled. "I can't tell you how embarrassing it would be for you to turn into a human in the middle of one of my classes."

"That reminds me…" the vampire piped up, suddenly looking anxious and excited. "Now that we have all of this straightened out, could you pretty please take me on a tour of the school? I want to see what has changed since I was last here, and if I fly around with you, we won't have to worry about anyone seeing us."

Tom watched her bouncing on her toes like a child and laughed. "All right, but if it gets too late, I'm going to bed whether you like it or not. I'm on patrol duty tonight anyway. After the horrible threats I made to the last student wandering the halls after curfew, I don't think we'll see _anyone_ out tonight."

Nyx poofed into a bat again and flapped along beside her "owner" as he trudged through the snow back to the castle, using a charm to cover the tracks they left behind them. He was exhausted after the whole dead student ordeal, but he was more than happy to fulfill her request.

"_This could not get any better!_" he thought, grinning inwardly. "_All I have to do is talk about the Founders when I show her something related to one of them, and I can squeeze as much information out of Nyx as possible. And here I thought this would be an actual challenge._"

As they made the rounds on the first floor, the Prefect had the chance to ask about both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw when they came across classrooms that they had supposedly taught in. It was interesting to learn that Gryffindor had a notoriously quick and violent temper and an easily inflatable pride, and that Ravenclaw married a brilliant French philosopher who just happened to be a very open-minded Muggle, but that wasn't what Tom was concerned with.

He worked his way down to the dungeons as briskly as he could; talking about Slytherin was only proper down there, and it wasn't long before he got the conversation going full-speed.

"And here is Professor Slughorn's office," he said, gesturing to the heavy wooden door. "He is the Potions Master at the moment, and I imagine that every Potions Master before him has used that office, too. Didn't you say that Slytherin taught potions while you were in school?"

"Yes, and that was his office, too. His living quarters were next door, but it looks like that's a classroom now," Nyx replied evenly. "The Four had a lot of space to spread out since they were so important. They also had families that lived here with them – except Hufflepuff. She was unmarried the last time I saw her, but it seems she eventually had a few kids. The other three were filthy rich; they might as well have been kings and queens. All of them insisted on being called "Lord" and "Lady," even though they weren't really nobility. We even had to address their children like that."

"Did any of them have children your age?" he asked.

"Yes, all three of them. Gryffindor had a son named Aurelius, Ravenclaw had a son named Kalixius, and Slytherin had a daughter named Adelaide," Nyx lied. "Aurelius was an annoying fop, Kalixius was antisocial but very smart, and Adelle (as I liked to call her) was my quick-witted and rebellious best friend."

Tom raised his eyebrows. "That's impossible. Slytherin never had a daughter. He only had three sons."

"That's what he _wanted_ you to think," Nyx corrected him, feeling a touch of resentment herself. "Adelle was the only child he had with his first wife, Iveria, because she died when Adelle was young. Slytherin hated her for her entire life; he put unreasonable expectations on her because he didn't want her to disgrace the family name, or himself. Adelle was expected to be perfect all the time, and anything less than that was punished with bruises, cuts and broken bones at the very least. She was forced to learn things beyond the normal level to meet her father's requirements, and after a while, it came quite easily to her. You could say that she was _trained_ to be brilliant.

"Slytherin wanted to marry her off as quickly as possible, but no one asked for her hand in marriage. Everyone was afraid of her because of who her father was, and they assumed that she was as intimidating as him. They were correct, actually, but she didn't mind having only two or three friends. Besides, Adelle wasn't encouraged to socialize because it would get in the way of her studies.

"Obviously she was miserable for the entire time I knew her. Slytherin never showed her an ounce of love or pride. He would grace her with little rewards when she impressed him, but it wasn't because he was her father; it was because she had pleased him, and that was it. Adelle was the hated child, and she loved her younger brothers, but she deeply resented Slytherin's preference for them over her. She may have been the first-born, but Slytherin never forgave her for not being a son."

It agonized Nyx to talk about herself like that, using her actual best friend's name in place of her own. She almost told Tom the truth of who she was, but she decided that one surprise was enough for the night.

"Wait… He hated her because she was a _**girl**_?" Tom asked, grinding to a halt and staring at her in disbelief. "That's it?"

"Yeah. Pitiful, huh?" she replied. "And she was a lot smarter and more talented and any of her brothers, too. But Slytherin was ashamed that his first-born was a girl, so he had her erased from history when she died."

"How did she die?"

Oh, no. Don't make her talk about _**that**_. "…an accident. A very tragic and horrible accident. I'd rather not discuss it. She was my only real friend, after all, and I saw it happen with my own two eyes."

"Oh, I'm… I'm sorry about that," Tom said, checking his interest. "I cannot believe a parent could hate their own child for being the wrong gender… It's insane…"

"Well, Slytherin wasn't ever completely right in the head, or so everyone believed," Nyx chuckled. "Adelle dealt with it pretty well, in my opinion. It helps to have another unpopular person to sympathize with you."

"Why didn't anyone want to be around _you_, then?" he asked, giving her a sideways glance.

"Because I was friends with Slytherin's daughter, that's why."

Tom stopped again. "They really hated her that much?"

"Yeah, they really did," the vampire replied sadly. "Anyone who was friendly with her was shunned. Apparently our little group was thought to be part demonic or something. Or, at the very least, we were just really, really unfriendly."

Turning away, Tom frowned and continued walking down the dimly lit corridor. He was very displeased to hear that Slytherin had his priorities so out of whack. If Adelaide was _**his**_ daughter, he would have pushed her to be the best, too, but he would have been proud of her and loved her if she succeeded. Tom also hoped that he wouldn't have been so abusive even if she had failed completely; he had never experienced any violence at the orphanage, but a total lack of parental compassion and care was something he was very familiar with. He never thought about the consequences of it until now, when he heard about someone else who was in the same boat. Adelaide had a father, but it was more of a slave-and-master relationship, from the sound of it.

"What are you thinking about?" Nyx asked, interrupting him.

"About how I understand why Adelaide was unhappy, and probably rather messed up," he replied quietly. "And also how disappointed I am to hear that Slytherin was cruel even to his own children… I know he was notorious for his lack of compassion and his obsession with perfection, but I never thought he would apply it to his children so strictly."

"He only did it to Adelle," she murmured. "He was far more lenient and forgiving with her brothers, even though he still insisted that they be the best at everything."

"Regardless of his parenting skills or lack thereof, I still agree with Slytherin's ideals," he added. "I just don't think I'd be happy if I turned out quite like him."

Nyx had to try very hard to hide the gleeful excitement in her voice. She was right about Tom after all; he was like Slytherin, but without some of his worst qualities. Showing even a little sympathy with her and admitting that her father was horribly messed up was enough proof for Nyx. Her respect for the teenager doubled at that moment, but she still didn't feel brave enough to tell him "Surprise! I was really talking about myself just now!"

"By the way," Tom suddenly asked. "Didn't you have amnesia until a little while ago?"

"Oh, uh… Well," she muttered. "Seeing things that have a lot of memories attached to them is helping me overcome the amnesia. Talking about things I remember vividly helps, too."

"I see," the Prefect said, smirking. "It's getting late. I - I mean, _**we**_ should probably go to the dormitory."

"All right, I suppose I can force myself to sleep if I have to," Nyx replied in mock annoyance.

As Tom strode onward, with Nyx fluttering beside him, he asked, "Did Adelaide ever have any children?"

"No, why?"

"I was only curious," he replied a bit defensively. "What about her brothers?"

"Vincent, the oldest, had a few children, and so did Damian, the middle son, but I don't think they lived very long so his line might not have lasted," she replied. "The youngest, William, died very young and never had the chance. Why are you so interested in Slytherin's grandchildren?"

"I said I was just curious, didn't I?" Tom replied as calmly as he could. He was "curious" because he wanted to know which child he was descended from. Vincent seemed to be the most likely. "…wait, didn't you say Adelaide's mother died when she was very young? How could she have younger brothers?"

"When Iveria died, Slytherin married her younger sister, Winifred," Nyx replied simply. "She wouldn't give Adelle the time of day since she wasn't her child. Winifred was the typical devoted wife back then; all she cared about was raising her kids and keeping her husband happy. She and Slytherin were well suited to one another since they were both quite unlikable people."

"It almost sounds like Adelle was lucky to have died. She wouldn't have to be miserable anymore," Tom said quietly.

The vampire gazed at him as they entered the Slytherin common room and descended the stairs going down to the boy's dormitory. She didn't expect him to be so understanding, but she was glad to hear it.

"Don't get too deluded, Nyx," Erebus spoke up. "He may say that he dislikes your father's methods now, but you wait and see. No one who lives by ideals like those can be much better than that prick."

Nyx tried to ignore him. She liked Tom just the way he was, and she sincerely hoped he would stay that way; she'd brainwash him into it if she had to.

"Considering the amount of heavy-duty Dark magic he's immersed himself in already, including the three murders he committed," the vampire thought. "Tom is astonishingly pure, for lack of a better word. He has the potential to become nothing more than a power-hungry, heartless, genocidal megalomaniac, but he hasn't let his darker side control him. He's very rational, and if he was truly consumed by his evilness, he'd be incomprehensible."

Nyx liked the fact that, despite his best intentions, Tom still had something of a heart, even though it was tiny and rather black. She liked to think the same thing of herself; her motives were no purer than his, but she still felt things like guilt and compassion once in a while. Nyx was worried that if either one of them got too wrapped up in their darker natures, the other one could be pulled overboard with them, and then they'd have nothing to do but wallow in their own shit until they drowned. She couldn't let Tom lose his reason and do anything he'd regret, but she had to be careful not to do the same thing herself.

Nyx wanted both of them to achieve their goals, but not if they had to become "hardcore evil" like Slytherin. She would never forgive herself if she allowed Tom to destroy a person that she was becoming very fond of, as a friend and an ally.

"You know something, Erebus? I heard a saying once that said something about how certain people are like mirrors, and when you put two of them together, they reflect off of each other and you end up with twice what you started off with," Hemera mused. "Pity I can't remember what it actually said."

"And do you think Nyx and Tom are mirrors?" Erebus asked, smirking.

"Oh, certainly. Nyx knows it's going to happen, even though she doesn't want it to," she replied. "They're both going to get more and more crazed and obsessed with their Dark magic and their desires, and poof! We'll have two copies of Slytherin running around, working hand-in-hand to make the world the perfect place for themselves."

"I wish we could make popcorn in here. It really makes the show so much more enjoyable," Erebus sighed.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not.

**A/N:** Sorry this has taken so long to post. One of my betas, Tiff, has been wrapped up with life and hasn't gotten the chance to do any beta-ing in a long time. So, for now I'll keep posting, and when she gets a chance to read them, I'll make any adjustments if I have to. (My other beta, Shan, is still reading them, so they HAVE been edited.) That's all I have to say. Ta-dah.

Kudos to my lovely beta, Shan. (And Tiff who is temporarily on hiatus.)

**General Notes: **OKoE readers, are you seeing a pattern yet? Nyx meets teenage boy, reveals that she's a vampire, turns into a bat so she can hang out without being noticed… Sound familiar? :3

The way I see it, Kalixius was Ravenclaw's first child, and Helena was born afterwards. I reread that DH chapter a few times to make sure that it didn't say "Helena was the first-born" or anything, and it didn't, so it works. And I also believe that Ravenclaw would be more concerned with marrying someone intelligent and thoughtful, rather than a pureblood, or even a half-blood at that. (Also, OKoE readers, Jack's family follows this pattern too. His mom was named Rebecca, Kalixius' mom was named Rowena. Jack's dad was a French Muggle, his mom was an English witch, and so were Kalixius' parents. Except Jack had a twin and no younger siblings, and his dad was a neurosurgeon instead of a philosopher. XD)

I also see Gryffindor as a rowdy Irishman. Proud and quick-tempered and red-headed. And probably with freckles. Yeah. (I'm Irish myself, so don't accuse me of being stereotypical. XD)

For a little extra clarification about Adelle, she really did exist, and she was really Nyx's best female friend. (Kalixius was her best friend, period, but Nyx doesn't want to discuss him with Tom at all. And she really did hate Aurelius, but won't discuss him, either, for different reasons.) Adelle's family history isn't terribly important, but she was a pureblood, and from a moderately wealthy family, since she was in Slytherin and she was well cared for. I imagine her with curly chestnut-colored hair and green eyes.

I wanted Slytherin's treatment of Nyx to be the third-worst thing I could imagine, as far as how one treat's one's offspring. This includes physical, emotional, and psychological abuse; making her feel like she's never good enough, never praising her, never showing her love, punishing her without mercy or gentleness, etc… It's especially bad because Nyx's mother died when she was 8 years old, and her mother was the only family member who ever really cared about her and was kind to her, or would have tried to protect her form her father. (Later on Kalixius filled that particular hole in her life, but that's another story.) The second-worst thing would be sexual abuse, which I frankly don't have the balls to write, and THE worst would be anything that results in Nyx's death, which obviously wouldn't work with the story.

I really did hear that quote about the "mirrors," but I can't remember for the life of me how it went. Blah. Curse you, bad memory!

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**--** **k**avi - **s**ama **--**


	7. Only

**Gemini**

Prologue to The Other Kind of Evil

**Chapter 7. **Only

"_Yes, I am alone, but then again I always was, as far back as I can tell.  
I think maybe it's because, because you were never really real to begin with.  
I just made you up to hurt myself.__"_

_- _"Only" © Nine Inch Nails

Tom was bent over his Potions book like a vulture over a fresh carcass, hungrily picking through the pages for a list of uses for cockatrice scales. A small, dark something poked into his line of sight from the inside pocket of his robes. A little bat leaned precariously over the book as it scanned the turning pages below. Tom suppressed a sigh of annoyance and pushed the bat's head back into his pocket with his thumb, drawing an indignant little squeak from it.

"Don't shove me like that!" Nyx protested telepathically.

"Don't let yourself be seen in public, then," he replied out of the corner of his mouth. His Slytherin tablemates wouldn't hear him over their inane chatter.

The vampire scoffed. "Slughorn isn't even looking at this side of the room. Everyone else is too afraid of you to look at you and notice _**me**_…"

Tom flipped to the next page with additional force. "You can read later. Now is not the time to be curious."

Nyx curled up in his pocket and sulked until she dozed off; such was the daily routine for them now that Nyx was pretending to be Toms pet bat. Her innate curiosity had led to some close calls in the past month. Animals weren't supposed to be taken into classrooms unless it was a special occasion, and Tom didn't want to risk detention for her. But Nyx was even more stubborn than he was, and she always won the morning argument over whether or not he should let her follow him around all day. She wanted to see what modern classes were like, and to actually see the teachers he talked about on occasion, as well as to save him the trouble of teaching her new things that he learned.

Unfortunately, Nyx had a tendency to forget that she wasn't supposed to be in the classrooms, and she had been spotted twice before. Her ability to teleport, even in bat form, was even handier than she thought it was. Nevertheless, Tom was very bothered by the idea that if she was discovered, a chain of events could unfold that would get him expelled for helping and hiding a murderous vampire.

Weeks before, Tom and Nyx both watched as a solemn Headmaster Dippet made the announcement that the dead Gryffindor boy's body had been found in the Forbidden Forest. The Prefect praised Nyx's brilliance and skill in forging the boy's death when the Headmaster declared that he had been savagely attacked by some kind of wild, violent beast. This only served to make the Forbidden Forest even _more_ forbidden than it already was; no one suspected that the true danger was curled up inside Tom Riddle's pocket.

It was old news after a few weeks, and the temporary hysteria the discovery caused had died down considerably. Life was back to normal for everyone, more or less. Tom had become totally accustomed to Nyx's presence, although he still wasn't happy to see her furry little face and hear "good morning, sunshine!" every bloody day. He had become very good at hitting small flying objects with pillows, often without even looking up.

Nyx, too, was comfortable in the routine life of a student. She got to sleep all day in a warm little cocoon, and fly around wherever she pleased at night. The vampire kept herself well fed at all times because she was often perched on Tom's shoulder, dangerously close to his tempting neck. She continued browsing through his textbooks when he wasn't using them and walked through the library walls at night to read in secret. The two Slytherins couldn't have the lengthy conversations that they enjoyed so much because Tom would look like he was talking to himself, and that would be bad. Nyx communicated telepathically to him and he wrote out his responses as he pretended to do his homework, and even that took a lot of extra time, but they both had to admit that it was better than nothing.

But Nyx did have one enormous problem that she needed to deal with, and that was Erebus.

"What do you mean I'm a _nuisance_?" he demanded furiously.

"You never shut up!" Nyx yelled. "I can barely concentrate when you're providing commentary on every little thing that happens! How am I supposed to talk to Tom if you're trying to get my attention at the same time?"

"You know I'm always getting new memories, and I usually find something out from every single one," he protested. "Do you really think I want to keep anything from you for even a minute?"

"As nice as that would normally be, _that's_ the problem," she sighed. "Did you pay _any_ attention at all those times that I almost slipped up in front of Tom?"

"That's right," Hemera chimed in. "You almost said, 'aren't you glad you already know how to kill people?' once."

"Exactly. He hasn't said anything to me about killing his family yet," Nyx continued. "If I said something like that in front of him, he'd be very suspicious. I've been getting along with him extremely well for the past four months and I don't intend to ruin it because Erebus can't keep his trap shut."

Erebus was quiet for a few moments before grumbling, "I can't help it. I already know everything about him, and I already told you everything I know. What am I supposed to do?"

"If I forgot all those things you told me, I wouldn't have to worry about screwing up. Erasing my entire memory, however, is obviously not going to happen," the vampire said. "I have no choice but to seal you."

Erebus yelped and frantically argued, "B-but if you seal me, you'll lose my powers! You said they come in handy, right? Why would you want to throw them away like this?"

"I said they were useful _when needed_, not day and night," Nyx explained. "This is the only way I can forget everything you've told me. And not just information about Tom, but the rest of the world; I've had some close calls there, too, when he was explaining something you had already told me about, and I nearly said 'I already know that' even though there's no way I could have. Right now, gaining Tom's trust is my highest priority. When I need your powers again, I will unseal you, but until then, I can't afford to let them get in my way."

Erebus was speechless and horrified that Nyx was going to do something that cruel to him.

"What about me?" Hemera asked.

"You will remain unsealed. You're not as troublesome as he is," Nyx replied. "Besides, I could use the company."

"Nyx, I beg you not to do this to me!" Erebus pleaded. "Do you have any idea how weak you will be without me? I am the only one who can teach you how to take advantage of your powers! You will be _helpless_!"

"If I see a need to become more powerful, I will unseal you," she replied coolly. "And once I have learned a new skill or two, you will be sealed again."

Before he could utter another word, Nyx focused all of her concentration to silence Erebus, pushing him into a corner of her mind that she rarely visited. Envisioning a medley of chains and ropes tying him up and binding him to a solid rock, she locked him in place. Finally, she built a massive fortress around him to prevent his escape, leaving only a tiny chink in one wall through which she could communicate with him if she absolutely had to.

The process was simple, but it took a heavy toll on Nyx's mental strength as most of her memory was sucked away into Erebus' little prison. But it was a short matter of time before Nyx forgot why she was in such discomfort, and why she needed to seal Erebus away in the first place. All that was left was her own memories, from her earliest recollection of breaking a rare and valuable crystal cauldron (and receiving a sound punishment for it), to her latest memory of the homework Tom had been assigned in transfiguration. Everything Erebus had ever told her about the world and the people in it was gone; the only exceptions were his lessons on controlling her abilities, and Nyx had altered those memories on her own behalf to make herself think that she simply always knew how to do that. Every trace of Erebus' problems was gone, but unfortunately not the record-breaking headache Nyx now had to deal with.

Hemera helped her heal by comforting her that she made the right decision, without reminding her of the reason she made it. The Alpha personality had another reason to eliminate Erebus, but she didn't bring it up even though she still remembered it; she couldn't take any more of their constant nagging. Each tried to pull her in one direction or another, and she was going to snap if she had to endure it any longer.

Erebus treated Nyx like a goddess among mortals unfit to lick her boots. He became irate whenever she hesitated to use her immense power to its full advantage, to accomplish any goal she desired. Hemera was a constant reminder of Nyx's overwhelming lack of control over that power, and insisted that she suppress it unless absolutely necessary. Even then, she reminded Nyx to use extreme caution because none of them really new the amount of damage she could deal out if she was careless.

Hemera was like Nyx's conscience; she made her remember what happened the last time Nyx lost control, and convinced her to feel eternally guilty about it. She propounded that Nyx was nothing more than a human with incredible gifts and equally incredible weaknesses and flaws. It made her upset whenever Nyx refused to take a step back and look at herself truthfully to see that she was no goddess.

Nyx wasn't sure how she felt about herself. Hearing two contradictory opinions almost daily was enough to drive her mad. She considered sealing the both of them away just to shut them up, but after thinking about it, she realized that Erebus was the real source of the problems. He always started it, and Hemera jumped in to argue with him, and before Nyx knew it, it was as if they were controlling her actions just by telling her what she was supposed to be. It distressed her to think that they were mutating her real personality into something unfamiliar; she was the Alpha, but it was hard to control both of them all the time, and it was easy to simply go along with what one of them said and not decide for herself.

They had been with her for a long time, but Nyx remembered what it was like to control her own mind and not have anyone else in there to bother her. Part of her missed the solitude, and another part delighted in the good company. True, she usually got along very well with Erebus and Hemera, and they could be extremely helpful, but these latest problems outweighed the bonuses.

Nyx allowed Hemera to remain free because she rarely annoyed her. Hemera never started arguments, she never tried to give Nyx orders, and she was generally a more pleasant voice to listen to. Nyx permitted her to speak with Erebus if she wanted to, but only if she didn't say anything to Nyx about him. The Alpha thought it would be unfair to force Hemera into silence all the times she didn't feel like talking, and chatting with Erebus was better than nothing.

The Slytherin was glad beyond words that Tom didn't know about her schizophrenia. Either he would be freaked out and avoid her at all costs, or he'd be completely fascinated and want to talk to her other personalities constantly. Neither one sounded good to her, especially since the 6th-year seemed to have some issues of his own to sort out. She had known about this before she sealed Erebus away, but it didn't take long for her to re-learn it.

Nyx hung from a wall-mounted, blown-glass lamp in Slughorn's office, watching the scene before her with a calm interest. It was getting very late, but the Potions Master and a half-dozen members from his Slug Club were still sitting around, sipping drinks and chatting away the time. Slughorn sat in his exquisite winged armchair with his little feet resting on a velvet pouffe, a small glass of wine in one hand and the other immersed in a box of crystallized pineapple. Tom and the other boys sat on lower and harder seats, but the Heir of Slytherin was conspicuously placed a little higher and a little more comfortably than the rest.

Nyx's beady little eyes followed the relaxed position of his limbs, until they struck his hand, casually laid across the arm of the chair, and the large, black-stoned gold ring upon his finger. With a jolt, the vampire recognized it: _"That's my father's ring! What's **he** doing with it?"_

It was excruciatingly difficult not to reveal herself and demand an explanation from him, but as Tom began to speak, she calmed herself down and waited silently for him to leave so that she could interrogate him. Erebus couldn't help but laugh himself silly in his little prison; Nyx no longer remembered that Tom was the Heir.

Addressing the professor, Tom asked, "Sir, is it true that Professor Merrythought is retiring?"

"Tom, Tom, if I knew I couldn't tell you," Slughorn replied, waggling a thick, sugarcoated finger at him, but ruining the effect by winking. "I must say, I'd like to know where you get your information, boy, more knowledgeable than half the staff, you are."

Tom smiled as the other boys laughed and cast admiring looks at him. Nyx thought it was curious that, although he was clearly not the oldest, the other teenagers seemed to look up to Tom.

"What with your uncanny ability to know things you shouldn't, and your careful flattery of the people who matter – thank you for the pineapple, by the way, you're quite right, it is my favorite – I confidently expect you to rise to Minister of Magic within twenty years. Fifteen, if you keep sending me pineapple, I have _excellent_ contacts at the Ministry."

Tom replied, "I don't know that politics would suit me, sir. I don't have the right kind of background, for one thing."

His classmates smirked, and Nyx became even more confused. She recalled that Tom was a half-blood since she called him one right to his face, but she couldn't remember how she figured that out. Regardless, if the other boys knew that his father was a Muggle, why would they think it was funny rather than disgraceful? (Erebus continued giggling.)

"Nonsense," Slughorn insisted. "Couldn't be plainer you come from decent Wizarding stock, abilities like yours. No, you'll go far, Tom, I've never been wrong about a student yet."

The small gold clock on the Potions Master's desk chimed eleven o'clock.

"Good gracious, is it that time already?" he said. "You'd better get going, boys, or we'll all be in trouble. Lestrange, I want your essay by tomorrow or it's detention. Same goes for you, Avery."

Nyx prepared to sneak out through the wall and follow Tom back to the dormitory, like the rest of the Slytherins, but he remained standing across from Slughorn, who was wrapping up his pineapple on top of his desk.

Noticing him, he said, "Look sharp, Tom, you don't want to be caught out of bed out of hours, and you a prefect…"

"Sir I wanted to ask you something."

"Ask away, then, m'boy, ask away…"

"Sir, I wondered what you know about… about Horcruxes?"

Nyx's ears sprang to full alert. Slughorn stared at him as he twiddled with the ribbon on the pineapple box.

"Project for Defense Against the Dark Arts, is it?" he asked. As she carefully crawled to a better vantage point, the bat saw by the professor's expression that he knew it wasn't for homework.

"Not exactly, sir," Tom replied. "I came across the term while reading and I don't fully understand it."

"No… Well… You'd be hard-pushed to find a book at Hogwarts that'll give you details on Horcruxes, Tom, that's very Dark stuff, very Dark indeed."

"But you obviously know all about them, sir? I mean, a wizard like you – sorry, I mean, if you can't tell me, obviously – I just thought that if anyone could tell me, you could – so I just thought I'd ask –"

Nyx grinned. He certainly had a knack for ass kissing when he really wanted to get something.

Slughorn hesitated before answering. "Well, it can't hurt to give you an overview, of course. Just so that you understand the term. A Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed a part of their soul."

"I don't quite understand how that works, though, sir," Tom pressed, careful to hide his interest.

"Well, you split your soul, you see," he continued. "And hide part of it in an object outside the body. Then, even if one's body is attacked or destroyed, one cannot die, for part of the soul remains earthbound and undamaged. But of course, existence in such a form… Few would want it, Tom, very few. Death would be preferable."

"How do you split your soul?" Tom asked hungrily, not caring to conceal his desire for information.

"Well, you must understand that the soul is supposed to remain intact and whole," Slughorn explained. "Splitting it is an act of violation, it is against nature."

"But how do you do it?"

"By an act of evil – the supreme act of evil. By committing murder. Killing rips the soul apart. The wizard intent upon creating a Horcrux would use the damage to his advantage: He would encase the torn portion – "

"Encase? But how – "

"There is a spell, do not ask me, I do not know!" he said suddenly, shaking his head like an old elephant bothered by flies. "Do I look as thought I have tried it – do I look like a killer?"

"No, sir, of course not," Tom said quickly. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to offend…"

"Not at all, not at all, not offended," Slughorn replied gruffly. "It's natural to feel some curiosity about these things… Wizards of a certain caliber have always been drawn to that aspect of magic…"

"Yes, sir," Tom said. "What I don't understand, though – just out of curiosity – I mean, would one Horcrux be much use? Can you only split your soul once? Wouldn't it be better, make you stronger, to have your soul in more pieces, I mean, for instance, isn't seven the most powerfully magical number, wouldn't seven -?"

"Merlin's beard, Tom!" Slughorn yelped. "Seven! Isn't it bad enough to think of killing one person? And in any case… bad enough to divide the soul… but to rip it into seven pieces…"

The professor was gazing at Tom as if he had never seen him clearly before, and Nyx knew why. Having forgotten what she knew about him, she now felt a newfound interest and respect in Tom. She was terribly curious to learn why he was so interested in becoming immortal.

Slughorn continued carefully. "Of course, this is all hypothetical, what we're discussing, isn't it? All academic…"

"Yes, sir, of course," he replied quickly.

"But all the same, Tom… Keep it quiet, what I've told – that's to say, what we've discussed. People wouldn't like to think we've been chatting abut Horcruxes. It's a banned subject at Hogwarts, you know… Dumbledore's particularly fierce about it…"

"I won't say a word, sir," Tom reassured him. As he turned to leave, Nyx fluttered through the wall ahead of him and waited a good distance down the hall; she didn't want Slughorn to hear them talking.

As he walked by her, Nyx assumed her human form and tapped him on the shoulder. Tom whirled around, drawing his wand, but stopped as soon as he saw who it was. His startled expression became one of annoyance when he demanded, "What are _you_ doing here? You said you were going out to bite a few necks or something!"

"I changed my mind," she replied. "I decided that following you around in secret would be more interesting, and I was quite right."

Tom's face fell. "Y-you were in there? You heard all that?"

"But of course," Nyx said with a grin. "And it's as plain as the nose on my face that you want a Horcrux of your own – or preferably seven. It sounds like someone wants to become immortal, and it sounds like he wants it very badly."

His face contorted into one a step below rage as he hissed, "My matters are _not_ your concern. If you _**ever**_ do something like this again, I'll let everyone know what _really_ killed that Gryffindor brat, and I'll be _damned_ if you think I'll try to stop them from dousing you with holy water or something."

Nyx was totally unaffected by his anger. "We'll see about that. I have to compliment you on your skillful use of flattery and humility to get what you want; you're probably almost as good at it as I am. You certainly picked the right target, too, since Slughorn knows enough on the subject and likes you well enough to tell you about it. With that said, I'd like to remind you that I am far older, wiser, and more powerful than you are. I'd be careful, if I were you, about casting me off so quickly. You never know when I might be of use."

Tom pretended to ignore her as he stalked off towards the dorms, but Nyx stubbornly followed him. As his arm swung back towards her, she grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm backwards.

With a yelp of pain and surprise, he turned to see Nyx gazing at Slytherin's ring in fascination. He winced as she tightened her grip and pulled him closer to examine it better. Tom's stomach plummeted: _"Oh, **damn**… Why the hell did she have to show up **tonight**? I've been so careful around her, watching my words and my actions, and making absolutely certain **not** to wear this ring… Of course she's going to recognize that it's Slytherin's, and I'm sure she'll be able to figure out why **I** have it…"_

"That's an interesting ring," she said in an unusually hollow voice. "Family heirloom, perhaps?"

Tom hesitated. "Yes, it belonged to a relative…"

"That's the mark of the Peverells, I see," she commented, tracing the engraved lines with her finger. "I daresay there's only one ring like this in the world, judging by the unusual stone, set with the mark of a long-dead family, and wrought in gold in a positively medieval style. This was Salazar Slytherin's ring. I am not mistaken."

"It…It is?" Tom asked, looking hopeful and surprised.

"Yes, it is," Nyx replied coldly. "Why do you have it?"

"I-I told you, it belonged to a relative, and he passed it down to me," he insisted.

"Who?"

"My uncle, o-on my mother's side."

"The Muggle?"

Tom bit his tongue to keep himself from uttering the nastiest curse he could think of. "…_**no**_, she was a witch."

"I see. Were there ever any thieves on that side of the family?"

"How the hell should I know? I got it from my uncle, and there's nothing more to it! If you're sure that this was Slytherin's, then I'm extremely lucky and thankful to have it, but no one told me about that particular detail until you came along! I don't know why you seem to think that it's not rightfully mine."

Nyx gazed at him for a long while, searching his dark eyes for the truth. He stared back at her with a mix of defiance and anxiety. The seconds dragged on for a eternity before Nyx released his arm and backed off.

"I see you're an accomplished Occlumens despite your age," she said quietly.

"You're not a bad Legilimens yourself," he replied.

Neither one said another word as Nyx transformed back into a bat and flew alongside the Prefect as he continued towards the dormitory. They knew that they were evenly matched when it came to invading other people's minds, but they didn't want to admit it just in case the other didn't realize it. Nyx and Tom's first real 'fight' had ended in a draw.

The vampire didn't bring up Horcruxes or Slytherin for a few weeks, not until another mysterious death sent the castle into a panic, and told Nyx exactly why Tom possessed Slytherin's ring.

Hemera, meanwhile, watched everything with great curiosity, occasionally leaning over to the chink in the wall and listening to what Erebus had to say. Nyx's behavior now that Erebus couldn't interfere was a joy for her to observe, but also a source of reasonable worry for both of the extra personalities.

With a small sigh, Hemera said, "I just hope she doesn't forget you're in here, Erebus, or she'll never let you out again."

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not.

**A/N:** Not a whole lot to say this time, so I'll just get to the important notes.

Kudos to my lovely betas, Tiff and Shan.

**General Notes: **I put a lot of extra effort into describing how and why Nyx sealed Erebus, and the results afterwards. When I first came up with the idea, it made sense in my head, but once I typed it out, I realized that it was really confusing and probably too abstract for everyone to understand completely, so I elaborated on it and added extra explanations. Hopefully it makes sense now and you understand exactly what happened. If not, don't be afraid to ask and I'll try to rephrase it as best I can.

Yes, I copied the entire Tom-Slughorn conversation straight out of HBP… What? I didn't feel like paraphrasing it or writing it in my own way. Meh. It's more canon this way, IMHO, and not everyone would remember exactly how the conversation went so it doesn't hurt to have it there to remind you of what a giant kiss-ass Tom is. XD

These two certainly get each other riled up quickly, don't they? You'll be seeing more fighting between them very soon, and it's going to continue all the way till the end. :3

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**--** **k**avi - **s**ama **--**


	8. Eraser

**Gemini**

Prologue to The Other Kind of Evil

**Chapter 8. **Eraser

"_I've told you this once before, can't control me._

_If you try to take me down you're gonna break._

_I feel your every nothing that you're doin' for me._

_I'm thinking you oughtta make your own way._

_I stand alone.__"_

_- _"I Stand Alone" © Godsmack

Nyx was beside herself with fury.

"Oh, he's _**really**_ done it now…" she muttered to herself as she stalked down the hall towards a girl's bathroom. Blending in with the long, black shadows, she had no reason to think that anyone would see her that evening. The vampire kicked the door open vengefully, ignoring the large "Do Not Enter" sign and dispelling the protective charms with an irritated flick of her hand. She strode over to one sink in particular and hissed in Parseltongue, "_Open up before I have an aneurysm._"

The sink obediently slid away to reveal a large, dark hole. She sneered at it with disdain. "_You honestly expect me to jump down that filthy tunnel?_"

The floor rumbled a little and the stones in the wall re-arranged themselves into a set of stairs following the tunnel downwards. Nyx grinned and hissed, "_Good boy_."

After dashing down the familiar stairs, she found herself at the edge of a skeleton-strewn pit, which she gave barely a glance as she walked on into the darkness. Her footsteps echoed off of the damp stone surroundings, cutting through the oppressive silence as she pressed on. Finally she found herself at the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets, her father's dismal little sanctuary and the home of his pet basilisk. Nyx tried not to let the memories overwhelm her ("Oh, I'm crying my heart out. Puh-lease.") as she commanded the door to open, and stepped over the threshold into the serpent-themed cavern.

Bypassing the many scaly decorative touches, Nyx focused on the enormous statue of Slytherin himself and found herself willing it's head to fall off and explode – and to her surprise, it did. The vampire dropped to her knees, laughing herself stupid at the sight, until a harsh snarl reverberated from one of the many tunnels; "_Who goes there?_"

She coughed a little and replied calmly, "_It's your adoptive sister, Nyx_."

A huge, acid green snake came plowing out of the nearest tunnel, it's fangs bared in an expression of pure joy. The basilisk's bright yellow eyes had no effect on Nyx, so she felt more than comfortable staring at the strange sight until the serpent coiled it's muscular body around her and squeezed her in a poor excuse for a hug.

"_I'm happy to see you too, buddy, but I think you're going to break me_," the vampire gasped.

The basilisk gave her an apologetic look as it released her gently onto the stone floor. "_Where have you **been** all these years? Valikzat and I were worried sick about you!_"

"_Wait… You're Zexala?_" Nyx asked suddenly. When the snake nodded slowly, looking mildly offended that her gender had been wrongly identified, Nyx gave her a puzzled look and asked, "_Then where's your bother? I thought Valikzat was supposed to be down here, not you._"

"_Oh, he left a couple hundred years ago_," Zexala replied. "_I think he said something about South America, but my memory is fuzzy. I've been on guard duty down here ever since_."

"_So **you're** responsible for the trouble_," Nyx said, giving her a stern look.

"_Oh, th-the girl? The dead one?_" she asked innocently.

"_Yeah. The one you **killed**, Zexa, along with the other kids you petrified_," the vampire said. "_How did you get out of here, and why did you let that girl die? Do you have any idea the chaos you've been causing?_"

Zexala shrank defensively. _"…Tom told me to do it…"_

"_Tom **who**? Riddle?" _Nyx asked sharply.

"_Yes, that one," _the serpent hissed. "_How do **you** know him?_"

"_It's a long story. More importantly, how did **he** get in **here**?"_ she demanded.

"_Nyx, I thought **you** of all people would know already!"_

The look the vampire gave her made her cut to the chase; "_He-he's the Heir of Slytherin. I'm sorry, I know **you** should really be the Heir, but… Well, how else could he have found the Chamber? That's the only reason I did what he told me. If I had only known that you were still around, I would have just obeyed **you**_. _I'm really sorry…_"

Nyx stared at the basilisk silently for a few long seconds, before repeating in a hollow voice, _"…Tom is the Heir of Slytherin_."

Zexala nodded and shrank back even more in case her "sister" lost her temper.

She continued quietly, _"…and he never said a word to me. The fucking **Heir** of **Slytherin**. …I don't believe this_."

"_I think he wanted to keep it a secret from everyone_," the basilisk offered tentatively. "_You've only known him for a little while, right? I'm sure if you had given him some more time, he would have trusted you enough to –"_

"_**Silence!"**_ Nyx snarled, drawing a frightened squeak from the snake. "_It doesn't matter what he **would** or **wouldn't** have done; I know now, and I didn't hear it from him. I suspected that he might be the Heir since last month; he has my father's ring. Said he inherited it from an uncle on his witch mother's side of the family. You know his father was a Muggle, right?_"

The serpent wobbled her head uneasily. "_I didn't think he smelled like a pureblood, but I didn't think that a half-blood could possibly be the Heir… I guess I was wrong…_"

Nyx stood deep in thought for a long time. Hemera kept silent as the Alpha personality's thoughts showed that she was having the same reaction to the news as she did the first time; disbelief and chagrin, but not without an ironic sense of amusement at the thought of a half-blood Heir of Slytherin.

Nyx chuckled darkly and hissed, "_Well, there's nothing to be done about it, so no sense in dwelling on it. I don't want to be the Heir, and I never expected the title anyway. But that explains an awful lot about him… I always thought he looked a bit familiar, and now I know why. This certainly puts me in an interesting spot… But aside from that, I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill him, the hypocrite_."

"_Oh, y-you do_?" Zexala asked, trying to sound understanding. "_What did that… uh… stupid little mortal do to aggravate you_?"

"_Let's just say that things got a little out of hand earlier in the year and I killed a student accidentally_," the vampire replied with a toothy smirk. "_Tom completely panicked and treated me like I did it all on purpose, which I didn't. But I resolved the issue and neither of us were connected to the death, thankfully. He's a hypocrite because he was furious with **me** for killing a student by sheer bad luck, and now **he's** going off **ordering** you to murder them! Ugh! It makes me **sick**_!"

"_Oh, I see. So… How are you going to kill him?_" she asked politely. Zexala didn't really want to see Tom die, but Nyx wasn't the type to be argued with when she was upset.

"_First I need to explain why I'm so angry_," Nyx replied. "_Then I'm going to see how he reacts to my criticism. If he sees the error of his ways, I might let him off with a light maiming, but if he's as stubborn as I am, I'm afraid I'm going to have to eat him_."

"_Well, I wish you luck, then_," the basilisk hissed with a smile. "_I don't think he'll taste very good, though… And he **is** terribly skinny… If you can't stomach him, send him down to me. I'm awfully tired of eating nothing but rats…_"

"_Of course_," she said. "_I'll see if I can drop by sometime soon. Seeing a familiar face is very refreshing, even though you were just a little hatchling the last time I saw you_."

Nyx exited the Chamber and trudged her way back up to the bathroom. She stealthily made her way back to the dormitory and prepared herself for an impressive feat of vampiric magic. Placing an invisibility charm on herself, she floated into the boys' dorm through the door and landed on the other side. She took in her surroundings and saw several teenagers mulling around, and Tom relaxing on his bed, reading a book. With a wave of her hand and a little concentration, she succeeded in possessing the other boys and drove them all out to the common room as they chatted animatedly amongst themselves.

Tom curiously glanced around just in time to see Nyx materialize out of thin air and slam the door shut behind the last boy. As she threw him a lasting, somber glare, she placed her hand over the door's brass handle and melted it with remarkably little effort. She had no intention of being walked in on, and she didn't trust the lock alone.

"I'm not happy with you, Tom," she said quietly. "_Not. Happy."_

"What the bloody hell did _**I **_do?" he asked, looking distinctly alarmed at her murderous expression.

"I think you already know that," she said with a tiny smile. "Do you harbor any secret cross-dressing desires?"

"_**What?**_ Of _**course**_ not!" he yelped, giving her a disgusted look. "Why on earth would you ask that?"

"Well, if you don't secretly want to be a girl, then I should think you have no business being in a girl's bathroom, correct?"

Tom's face fell.

Nyx took a few long strides over to the foot of his bed and crossed her arms, staring down at him mercilessly. "You released the basilisk and ordered it to kill a student. Isn't that right, Tommy boy?"

He swallowed hard. "How do _you_ know that?"

"The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is in there. The girl's body had no visible wounds. I can only assume that she looked into the basilisk's eyes and died – especially since you just admitted that I was right."

Tom's mouth dropped open. "You – you know about the Chamber?" he asked, staring at her in disbelief.

"_Obviously_."

"And you're a _**Parselmouth**_? Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, sounding rather hurt that she had kept it a secret.

"Why didn't _you_ tell _me_ that you're the Heir of Slytherin?" she growled.

Tom went white as a sheet. "How do you know all this?" he said in a hoarse, horrified voice.

"It doesn't matter _**how**_ I know these things, it's the fact that I _**do**_ know them. And until I think you're more reliable than you've just proven, I won't be stupid enough to trust you with my secrets," she replied venomously.

"What are you so angry about?" he demanded. "What do you think I've done wrong?"

"You're a goddamn _**hypocrite**_!" she yelled. "I kill a student on accident, and I'm suddenly a bloodthirsty homicidal maniac! You kill a student, and you're innocent? _I don't think so!_"

"Look, I'm sorry I overreacted back then, but you fixed the situation perfectly, and no one ever suspected a thing," he said. "I panicked because I didn't think you had a plan, and now you're doing the same thing to me."

"Oh, really? Well, _do_ tell me about your brilliant reconciliatory plan! I'm _sure_ I'll be oh-so-very impressed!" Nyx sang mockingly.

"No one in this school thinks that the Chamber exists; _we_ are the only ones who know better," he explained tensely. "Obviously since no one believes it exists, they are never going to guess that the entrance is located in that bathroom, _OR_ that the basilisk is what killed that girl. There is _**no way**_ they will ever figure out what really killed her, and it's even less likely that they'll know it was _me_! I am going to get off just as easily as you did when you staged the "wild animal attack" in the forest. I _cannot_ be blamed for this."

"That may be true, but let's take a look at the _big picture_, shall we?" Nyx said with a wide, sarcastic gesture. "Planting a body in the Forbidden Forest is a good idea because everyone _**knows**_ it's dangerous. That's why it's _forbidden_! Imagine that! There are thousands of things in there that could kill someone – _especially a scrawny little **first year**_!

"A bathroom inside the school, on the other hand, is an incredibly _bad_ place to leave a body. Wanna know why? Because the school is supposed to be the _**safe**_ place to be! Leaving a cadaver in a bathroom makes the school _**UN**safe_, and that scares the shit out of people! Thinking that their precious students are in danger makes the school leaders talk about shutting the place down! Petrified students are one thing, Tom, but a dead one takes things to another level altogether."

"Wait – what have you heard about shutting the school down? They can't _do_ that!" he said, sounding slightly frantic.

"Well, when you have little girls dropping dead in bathrooms, I'd say that they most certainly can," Nyx added with a cruel smirk. "Unless they find out who or what is behind these attacks of yours, they will have no choice but to lock the castle up, otherwise all the worried parents will start a riot and drag their kids home to safety if they don't run home first. Whether you decide to own up to your dirty deeds or let time take its due course, it looks to me like you won't be returning next year."

Tom stared at her, wide-eyed and frantic. "Do you think they would reconsider if the attacks stopped?"

"Are you serious?" Nyx scoffed. "The damage has already been done, kiddo. You've got one hell of a job ahead of you if you think you can undo what you've done."

The Slytherin got to his feet and implored her desperately, "Please, Nyx, you have to help me! This isn't what I wanted to happen at all!"

"Then maybe you should have thought of the _consequences_ before you did it!" she snarled, throwing his own words back into his face.

"You don't understand!" he shouted back. "I have _nowhere_ else to go! Hogwarts is the only home I have ever had! My parents are _**dead**_! I've been living at a bloody orphanage my entire life! You have no idea what that's like! I _**can't**_ let them close the school! I'll go _**insane**_ if I have to be stuck with those fucking Muggles for another whole year!"

Nyx gave him an icy smile. "Oh, how dreadful. Living with a bunch of ignorant Muggles who don't appreciate you for what you are. At least that's not as bad as HAVING A STAKE DRIVEN THROUGH YOUR HEART, A SILVER DAGGER SLICE YOU UP LIKE A HAM, A CROSS BURNED INTO YOUR SKULL, DROWNED IN A VAT OF HOLY WATER, AND YOUR CORPSE LEFT TO BURN IN THE SUNLIGHT! THAT is what awaits me if the authorities find me! I will get the DEATH SENTENCE, you SELF-ABSORBED TWIT! They have NO mercy to spare on people like me, and they're not above giving us the WORST treatment possible! And YOU are complaining about living with MUGGLES? THAT'S _**BULLSHIT**_!"

The vampire stopped abruptly and took a gulp of air. She added in a soft voice like poisoned honey, "This is _your_ mess, not mine. I see no reason to help you clean it up. I can survive perfectly well on my own. _**You**_ can rot in a gutter for all I care. And besides, your matters are not my concern, _remember_?"

Tom felt his hands quivering at his sides as his heart beat against his ribs wildly.

"Oh, and how could I possibly forget that I _already showed you how to cover up a murder?_ See, you don't need any more help from me after all," Nyx said, grinning. "Anyway, this will be good practice for you if you plan on killing more people in the future."

He stared dumbly at the spot where Nyx vanished, having teleported far away from him. Tom felt like he was going to collapse; he planned it all so perfectly, but it had gone so very, _very_ wrong…

"And that heartless bitch won't lift a finger to help me!" he growled to the empty dorm. Frustrated and exhausted, Tom rolled back onto his bed and lay on his stomach, groaning into his pillow, "What am I supposed to _do_?"

Almost two weeks passed, and he still didn't have an answer to that question. Nyx was still disgusted with his lack of foresight and refused to speak to him until he either resolved the issue, or the school governors made the official decision to close Hogwarts. Tom's time was running short; it was already June 13th and final grades would be coming out soon, along with the final judgment that lurched closer every day.

Tom ran his long, pale fingers through his thick, wavy black hair and took a deep breath. He was nestled in his favorite secluded corner of the library for the thousandth time since the girl's death. He had thought as hard as he could about _anything_ he could do to keep the school open, and every idea he had led to a miserable dead end. If only Nyx would be sympathetic to his plight, she could possess someone and make them confess to the killing, and everything would be just dandy.

That was the problem – Tom knew he was capable of framing someone, but who? There wasn't a soul in the school as dangerous as he was (except Nyx, of course), and he found it impossible to even stretch the truth a little to make someone else seem threatening. Even the most unpopular and the most belligerent students were harmless, in his opinion.

"Maybe I've been doing this the wrong way," he murmured quietly. "What would Nyx do if it was up to her?"

He stared out the window across the sloping, green shore of the black lake, into the ancient trees of the forest… The scene from the wintry night months ago flashed into his head. The memory played itself out in Tom's imagination as he scoured it for clues that would explain the vampire's methods. His tired mind was slow to come up with any brilliant plans, until he envisioned a large, hulking shadow in the snowy conifers.

He barely breathed the name as a wild smile of delight crept across his face: "…_Hagrid_."

Mere hours later, Tom was being hailed as a hero as the oblivious half-giant was accused of endangering the lives of other students, not to mention the death of the girl named Myrtle. The young Acromantula had escaped to the forest despite Tom's efforts to capture it, to Hagrid's relief. But it was short-lived relief; most of the staff wanted to let the Ministry deal out the punishment, but thanks to Dumbledore's kind intervention, they decided that the third-year should repay his debt to the school instead of wasting away in prison. The Headmaster and the Transfiguration professor wasted no time in arranging for Hagrid to be apprenticed to the groundskeeper to ensure a home for the teenager, and because he was more than capable of doing hard labor.

Tom stopped caring about the half-giant, though, as soon as he was accepted as guilty and the school was declared safe again. He was worried about not having the Acromantula to prove that it existed, but the stupid oaf automatically admitted to raising it in a cupboard. Tom felt indescribably smug for having carried out his plan to success. He was sure that Nyx would be pleased with his results and stop giving him the cold shoulder. Proving his competency to her was surprisingly important to him, especially because she was one of few people that had ever _really_ challenged him to show what he could do.

The Slytherin Prefect was jotting down the day's events in his diary that night, when he noticed the other boys herding themselves out of the room again. He noticed that their eyes looked strangely vacant and a little reddish, and he knew that Nyx was responsible. He dropped the diary into his trunk as the vampire materialized once again and strode over to him calmly as he straightened up, waiting for her to shower him with praise.

Instead, she slapped him across the face hard enough to make him stagger backwards.

Nyx didn't give him the chance to recover before growling, "Frame the big, stupid half-breed because no one would dare take _his_ word over your own."

She smacked him again, with the other hand, and even harder.

"What the _fuck_ do you think that tells me?" she hissed as her eyes began to turn bright scarlet. "I told you once, I _do **not**_ tolerate people who treat me like I'm inferior."

"I framed _him_, not _you_, didn't I?" Tom said quickly as his fingers searched frantically for the wand in his pocket. Her eyes only burned red like that when she was preparing herself to kill.

"Because he's a half-giant and has a pet Acromantula!" Nyx yelled. "It's because of jackasses like _**you**_ that us non-humans aren't trusted! You think _you're_ so goddamned perfect? Take a look in the mirror, Tom! You may be smart, but you're an ignorant bastard all the same."

Tom was too stunned to speak for several moments. "Why are you getting so worked up over this? The fact that he had an Acromantula for a pet was _far_ more important than him being a half-giant!"

"_**An Acromantula can't petrify people!**_" she shrieked. "_**There wasn't a single wound on that girl's body from when she died! How the fuck is anyone supposed to believe that a bloody Acromantula did all this?**_"

"Why is it _**my**_ fault that Dippet is too stupid to consider that?" he shouted. "They believed me and that's all that matters! The school is staying open, they have someone to blame, and it's _not me_. What more am I supposed to do?"

"Why the fuck did you think they would believe that the Acromantula was petrifying people? You know as bloody well as I do that it's not possible!"

"_**It doesn't matter anymore!**_" he screamed, ready to tear his hair out in frustration. Why was she giving him such a hard time? "I did what I had to do! I had to frame _someone_, and I picked the most believable person I could! It didn't matter who I picked anyway as long as I could make them look guilty!"

"_**Yes – It – Does – Matter!**_" Nyx screeched, slamming her fist into a dresser and punching a hole in it. "Every time you insult _him_, you insult _**me**_! I'm even _less_ human than he is! If you think he's so worthless, what do you think of _**me**_?"

"You – you're _different_ –"

"NO I AM _NOT_! IF YOU HATE HIM FOR NOT BEING A PUREBLOOD HUMAN, THEN YOU HATE ME _TOO_, IDIOT!" Nyx took a sharp gasp of air and continued. "_This_ is what disgusts me the most about the world; in a thousand years, people like Hagrid and I _**still**_ get fucked over by people like you! It makes me sick to my stomach!

"That's _your_ problem. You have your head shoved so far up your own ass that you can't see the world around you. You take no one into consideration but yourself. Well, consider this, Tommy boy; the half-breeds you despise are _**all**_ more than capable of gutting you like a fish and eating you."

"Not unless I gut them first," he said, glaring at her.

Nyx's mouth twitched. Before he could react, she punched him underneath his ribcage and threw him to the floor, landing on top of him and pinning him down, digging her nails into his wrists. His eyes flickered open just long enough to see her fangs racing towards his throat, and he barely had time to brace himself for the pain when suddenly – he realized that she had stopped as soon as the pointed tips touched his skin. Seconds stretched into hours as he wondered what she would do to him, and he noticed that she had used more force in one strike than he had in his entire body. His heart beat frantically in his chest, but his lungs were paralyzed.

Nyx raised her face just enough to hiss into his ear, "…_I am far higher than you on the food chain, and I am not above taking prey as easily subdued as yourself. I'm also bad-tempered, easily offended, and not the slightest bit hesitant to kill you if you **ever** insult me like this again. Remember that_."

The vampire stood up abruptly and towered over him menacingly. Tom could only stare up at her in fear and wonder. He had never actually been afraid of another person before, and Nyx was certainly the most intimidating one he had ever seen. She was smaller than he was, yet she was so _powerful_… And aggressive, too. He always knew that because she was a vampire, she had abilities and strengths that he couldn't imagine, but the power that left him stunned now was her power over _him_.

As a rule, Tom didn't take orders unless it would ultimately benefit him. But Nyx made him feel so insignificant and weak that he felt he had no choice; he had to do what she said, there was no way around it. But along with fear came respect, and a magnetic sense of closeness that he couldn't explain.

"_If I have an equal, it's **her**, I'm sure of it,"_ Tom thought. _"She could rip me apart with her bare hands, but I'm a force to be reckoned with when it comes to magic… I **know** more than she does, but she's just as brilliant as I am, and she figures things out even quicker… I can control people with a single look, and she… She does that to **me**,and no matter how hard I try, I can't fight her… And she's **already** immortal… I never thought I'd see the day that I was actually **jealous** of someone else…"_

Normally he would have been ashamed and disgusted with himself for allowing someone to beat him so easily, but now that Nyx's harsh treatment had helped him sort his feelings out, Tom's resolve to earn her trust and form an alliance with her became stronger than ever. He had given up on the idea of "taming" her as soon as she slapped him. "Taming" someone who wasn't the least bit afraid to attack you seemed rather impossible.

"I… I'm truly sorry for upsetting you," he offered hesitantly. "You know I'm not stupid enough to do something like this on purpose. I'll never, ever do it again."

Nyx let out an abrupt, humorless laugh before she turned and vanished in a puff of smoke. Her last words to him lingered in the room behind her; "If you really want to learn how to make a Horcrux, you're going to have to come up with one hell of an apology better than that one, because I'm the only person crazy enough to help you make seven."

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not.

**A/N:** I'm glad I waited to post this because I ended up changing the title at the last minute. I finally outlined the entire fic and it should be 27 chapters long (which I find pitiful since OKoE would have been more like 50… which is a ridiculous number, if you ask me, when the chapters are 10,000 words apiece…) including the Epilogue, which will be the coolest thing EVER. –bounces up and down with excitement- Anyway, I think it was chapter 26 that was supposed to be "Eraser" but I changed it to "I Stand Alone" because it fit PERFECTLY. But I kept the songs the same for them, so you still get the gist of what I was trying to do. I think. I hope.

Kudos to my lovely betas, Tiff and Shan.

**General Notes: **Nyx is probably the only person who could _**ever**_ get away with asking Tom if he secretly wanted to be a cross-dresser. XD …That image alone is enough to make me giggle like…something that giggles a lot. The OKoE readers already know that I like to use that for comedic relief. (Snape: "I hate you all. –eats chocolate-")

The only other thing I have to say is that this chapter had my favorite ending so far. :D Hope you liked it, too.

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**--** **k**avi - **s**ama **--**


	9. Someone In London

**Gemini**

Prologue to The Other Kind of Evil

**Chapter 9. **Someone In London

"_There are times when I think I've found the truth.  
There are times when I know that I'm wrong.  
And the days when I try to hide my fears,  
Bless the days when I'm feeling strong.__"_

_- _"Our Guessing Game" © The Moody Blues

"…Look, I've told you a thousand bloody times. You're not coming with me."

"Yes I am."

"No, you are _not_."

"Yes, I _am_."

"Nyx, I am _not_ going to explain this again. Now _drop it_."

"No! I want to come with you!"

"Well, then, would you care to tell me where you're going to stay?"

"I'll stay with you and keep pretending to be your pet. It's worked so far, hasn't it?"

"Muggles don't keep pet bats, stupid."

"I know you are, but what am I?"

"GOD, you are so _immature_! _**This**_ is why I don't want you with me! You're annoying, you have no class, and you're noisy! I'd be _ashamed_ to be seen with you!"

"Oh, come off it! You know you love me."

"Of course, I love you like I love the _plague_."

"Why can't I go with you? What's the _real_ reason?"

"The real reason is that I wasn't kidding about the orphanage and the fact that I have no family of any kind. I have enough problems there as it is. I don't need _**you**_ to baby-sit on top of that."

"Pansy."

"_**What**_ _did you call me?!_"

"You just don't want to be responsible for me. Pansy."

"Well maybe if you didn't leave a trail of chaos and disorder in your wake, I wouldn't mind it so much!"

"Well _you_ saw my boobs!"

"…_**what?"**_

"You did, and you _loved_ it! And that makes you responsible for me, whether you like it or not!"

"…Th-that has nothing to do with this! And stop trying to make me sound like a pervert! It was _**your**_ fault I saw them!"

"You're blushing."

"I AM NOT! I HATE YOU! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"At least this time you didn't get a raging –"

"_**SHUT UP!"**_

For the third time in one week, Nyx and Tom had gotten into a shouting match over their summer plans. Nyx wanted to stay with Tom because she couldn't think of anywhere else to go, and despite his annoying faults, she liked spending time with someone who functioned on the same wavelength as her.

Tom, on the other hand, clearly didn't like the idea. He still valued Nyx as a possible co-overlord, but he had been looking forward to a vacation from her for a long time. She was extremely interesting and a source of constant entertainment, but she was exhausting. The vampire had a much higher natural energy level than Tom, and it was really taking its toll on him.

After the incident with the basilisk and the dead girl, Tom hadn't tried to make another apology for offending Nyx. She got over her initial burst of anger very quickly, but deep down, she was still upset, and she expressed it through frequent verbal abuse, such as the preceding example of what Nyx liked to call "stoking the fire." All of their arguments had degraded into childish screaming and petty name-calling thanks to Nyx's lingering hurt feelings. And once she learned how to push Tom's buttons, she did it whenever she could. Mentioning the word "boobs" usually had an immediate and wholly satisfying effect.

Tom was tired of fighting with her, but even though a solid apology would put them on better terms, he couldn't come up with one. For once in his life, he really _was_ sorry for what he did, and he wanted his words to really count. Choosing the right ones to express his regrets, however, was practically impossible for him. Regurgitating contrite phrases and acting remorseful was something he did to normal people whose opinions were meaningless to him; Nyx was inconveniently _not_ normal.

The Prefect tried writing it out like a script, and came up with a few good approaches, but in the end, he was still dissatisfied with the overall effect. He needed Nyx to know that he meant what he was saying, but the only way he knew how to apologize was to lie. _Admitting_ that he couldn't apologize properly to Nyx herself was almost worse. Tom's vast pride wouldn't allow him to admit defeat, so he quietly carried on preparing himself for the most sincere apology of his life, and the most important; if he did it right, it would earn him instructions on how to make a Horcrux, and Nyx's support to boot.

With all of these lofty goals in mind, Tom set off for the dismal orphanage for the last time, notably without Nyx. He won their final battle by challenging Nyx to survive in the modern world on her own for a measly two months – a challenge she accepted with relish. Freedom to do as she pleased without Tom's interference would be a refreshing change, especially when it came to feeding. Nyx never quite understood what he found so revolting about bloodstains on her clothes, but being nagged into washing them all the time was really quite bothersome.

But, as always, Nyx had ulterior motives as well. An independent lifestyle was something she desired, but not just yet. The vampire was still set on accompanying Tom wherever he went because he still held possibilities for her, from new knowledge to a mutually beneficial partnership. Her other wish was to come up with a new plan for herself by next September; pretending to be a pet bat worked, but Nyx was getting bored with the monotony and the secrecy of that life.

After living off of squirrels in the Forbidden Forest for a week after the students headed home on the Hogwarts Express, Nyx finally had a stroke of brilliance that would have consequences reaching all the way into the 21st century, leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, her own personal hell, and the creation and destruction of the most terrifying Dark Wizard known to mankind – second only to herself, of course.

But first, it would cause a headache.

A breeze blew across Tom's face through the open window of his small, Spartan room, turning the pages of the book sitting limply in his hand. Everything from the sheets to the walls was white, clean, and dull. His belongings had been relocated from his school trunk into his wardrobe with obsessive-compulsive care and attention to detail. It was quiet, he was as comfortable as he expected to be, and he was alone.

Blissful, beautiful solitude, oh how he had missed it. The Slytherin dormitory was lavish compared to the orphanage, but Tom would rather do without extra comforts than tolerate any more loud, obnoxious roommates.

"_Not to mention a hyperactive vampire,"_ he thought, smirking. He secretly felt a little guilty for losing his temper with her so many times, but it made him feel a lot better to remember that _**she**_ started it every single time, and he only acted in self-defense. Sort of.

Tom leaned back and stretched, letting the book fall into his lap and flutter in the breeze. For once in the past six years, he was _glad_ to be back at the orphanage, and he wanted to bask in this rare, peaceful, "homey" feeling for as long as it lasted.

A sharp knock on his door jerked him out of his Happy Place. Resisting the temptation to send a stinging hex through the wall, Tom answered it, looking appropriately irritable. To his disgust, it was one of the girls that worked there, and a particularly cheery one at that.

Fussing absent-mindedly with her worn but spotless apron, she chirped, "Mrs. Cole wants to see you, if you have a moment."

"What does she think I did _now_?" he drawled, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.

"Oh, nothing," she replied, smiling. "A girl your age just came in and asked for a place to stay. Mrs. Cole wants you to show her around, I think."

Tom took a deep, steadying breath to prevent himself from screaming in rage. Whatever higher power was at work to rob him of his precious isolation, he didn't like it one bit.

"I'll be down in a minute," he growled.

After inspecting himself in the mirror to make sure he looked presentable in his simple black pants and white buttoned shirt (a part of his Hogwarts uniform, and it was a lot nicer than most of the other clothes he had), Tom trudged down the stairs to the ground floor and made his way to the matron's office. He appeared at the door and saw a girl seated in front of Mrs. Cole with her back to him, wearing a fitted knee-length day dress with short sleeves, made of simple light green fabric with a black collar, cuffs and pocket embellishments. A wide-brimmed straw hat rested in her lap, leaving her hip-length wavy black hair free. One small, banged-up gray suitcase rested at her feet next to a carpetbag purse – which, strangely, was decorated in well-camouflaged snakes.

Tom felt a distinct sweeping sensation in his stomach as Mrs. Cole got to her feet and told the girl to wait there for a moment. She stepped into the hall and closed the door, making it impossible for him to get another look at the newcomer.

"I know you're not the most social person in Britain, Tom, but I'm asking you to make this girl feel welcome here," the matron said, giving him a firm look. "She's just lost her parents – Army doctors, killed in an air raid in Paris two weeks ago – and she hasn't got any money left, even after selling off most of what she had. She seems like a nice girl, she shouldn't give you any trouble."

"Why do _**I**_ have to look after her?" Tom asked pointedly.

"Well, she…" Mrs. Cole explained, suddenly looking very uneasy. "She tells me she'll only be staying until the fall, and then she's going off to school. …_**Your**_ school, Tom."

"That's not possible," he said quickly. "Not if she's _my_ age. She'd have to be eleven to start going."

"Don't shoot the messenger. I'm only telling you what she told me, so you can talk to her about it if you think she's lying," the woman said defensively, before adding in a hushed voice, "…and personally, I think I'd believe _anyone_ who said they knew about the place."

Tom felt the sweeping sensation again. "What did you say her name was?"

"Ophelia Peverell," Mrs. Cole replied. "Bit of a strange name, but not much stranger than yours, I reckon."

"…_no. This can't be happening to me. There's no way,"_ he thought, feeling the color drain from his face. Ignoring whatever else the woman said, he stepped into the neat, drab little office and braced himself for the worst.

The girl in the chair seemed to sense his presence, rose from the chair, and turned to face him with a huge, smug grin on her face.

"Hi buddy!" Nyx sang, waving at him enthusiastically.

A tiny groan of despair and an expression of total defeat was his only reply.

Mrs. Cole bustled back into the room. "Well, I suppose you've introduced yourselves by now. Ophelia's staying in Katherine Williams' old room, so you might as well take her up there, Tom. You remember where it is, don't you? Well, you'll find it eventually. And don't make her carry her own luggage. Heavens, don't you know how to treat a lady?"

Nyx took the opportunity to dump the suitcase and her purse into his arms and snicker behind her hand. Tom's voice had failed him completely; all he could do was glare at her and concentrate on making flames shoot out of his eyes. Only after a stupendous effort to calm himself down was he able to mutter, "follow me," and begin leading the vampire up to her new room.

Nyx's sensitive ears picked up the matron talking to one of the working girls as they disappeared up the stairs, "I hope Tom and that Ophelia girl get along. It'll do him a world of good to have a girl that's more of "his type" around. I've been wondering about him for a while, if you know what I mean. Always thought he seemed a bit…_odd_ around the other girls…and the boys as well…"

The girl tittered and whispered, "I've suspected it for _**years**_."

She clamped her hand over her mouth and bit down hard to muffle her laughter; the very idea of him being gay was enough to make her wet her brand-new underpants, though the concept had some interesting and appealing possibilities, in her opinion. Tom noticed her odd behavior, but before he could ask, Nyx insisted, "Ignore me, I was just thinking of something funny… It's as perverse as it gets, and probably nothing _you_ would appreciate, and certainly nothing I should repeat in the presence of impressionable children."

He rolled his eyes at her, hoping it had nothing to do with him, and continued on until they reached the right room. Tom tossed her belongings on the floor unceremoniously and waited for her to get inside before shutting the door and performing a soundproofing spell on it.

"_What are you **doing** here?"_ he shouted. "I _told_ you not to follow me, didn't I?"

"Don't get your panties in a twist just yet," Nyx replied, sitting down on the bed and kicking off her shoes. "Did that Muggle woman tell you why she picked _you_ to make friends with me?"

"Yes, and I hope she lied," Tom snapped venomously.

"A few days ago I made an appointment with Dippet to request a place in the 7th year class," she explained, ignoring him. "After telling him how my noble and kind parents had been killed by Grindelwald's followers while working as Healers on the front lines in Germany, and crying a little, he was convinced that I had a good reason for coming in late. I did well when the other teachers interviewed me, too, though Dumbledore doesn't seem to trust me. I can't imagine why… Anyway, I'm scheduled to go in for some ability tests in a few weeks. They want to make sure I can keep up with your brilliant classmates before they admit me officially."

Tom gaped at her in disbelief. "…Dippet is a fucking _**idiot**_."

"Gullible, too, and a sucker for sob stories and crying girls," Nyx laughed. "It was a piece of cake once I got the idea. Think about it; I won't have to hide and pretend to be your pet all the time, and we can talk whenever we want and not worry about people thinking you've lost your marbles. It'll make your life and mine a lot easier next year."

The Slytherin staggered against the wall, looking perplexed. The idea that Nyx was going to be his classmate from now on was ludicrous, and it infuriated him that the Headmaster was such a fool to take Nyx at her word. But at the same time, Tom was extremely impressed that she had succeeded on the first try, and privately admitted that she would be much less of a burden if she wasn't tied to him anymore.

But then it dawned on him that if she was in all of his classes – which she was bound to request – he would actually have competition for the spot of Number One Student. Nyx could match him in brilliance easily, perhaps even surpass him a tiny bit. Tom suddenly felt nervous as his ego became more and more threatened by the idea of intellectual defeat.

The vampire felt the tension in the room double as Tom began to give her a very suspicious look. She immediately understood why. "If you think I'm doing this just so I can show you up and take your place as the smartest person at Hogwarts, then you're both wrong _**and**_ unbelievably paranoid. I'm doing this for my own benefit. I still want to stay at the school because there are things I don't know yet, and it's easiest for me to learn them in a class, rather than trying to teach myself. Plus, it's better for me to stay somewhere comfortable and familiar, and especially since you'll be there, too."

Tom stayed quiet for a few seconds, and decided to change the subject. He didn't feel like immediately confronting his fear of inferiority, and especially not in front of Nyx. "Where did you get all of this from?" He nodded to her suitcase and carpetbag purse.

"I bought all of it after observing the local young women. I wanted to look modern, but not wealthy, so I bought the simplest clothes I could," she explained, gesturing to the dress she was wearing. "But I also wanted to give the impression that I had been well brought-up in a comfortable and financially secure environment. I think the effect is rather good, don't you?"

He nodded. "Yes, but it doesn't suit you at all."

"How long did it take you to notice?" she asked sarcastically, fidgeting uncomfortably. "God, I _hate_ these clothes! I feel like I'm wearing a straightjacket. I _look_ terrible in all the styles, too. The other clothes are better than this one, but this dress was the best for my image, I thought. I never thought I'd be so glad to wear robes in my life…"

"I was surprised that you put so much effort into your appearance," Tom commented with a hint of a smirk curving his lips. "I was even more surprised that you managed to dress correctly. Most witches and wizards can't wear Muggle clothes as convincingly as you do."

"Like I said, I spent quite a bit of time observing women to see how they dressed before I tried to buy anything on my own," she said. "It was easy to watch people on the street while I was sitting on the roof of that gambling hall down the road."

"Gambling hall?" Tom asked, raising an eyebrow. "What on earth for?"

"Resources."

"…oh. I see. You waited until someone won a load of money, trailed them until they were alone, then attacked, drank their blood, and robbed them of their winnings."

"Precisely."

"I think I'm beginning to understand the way you work. How much money have you 'earned' so far?"

"Oh, about fifty thousand, give or take a few."

"…fifty thousand?"

"Fifty thousand."

"…in pounds?"

"In pounds."

"…I hate you. Now make me a vampire."

"Now, Tom, what did I tell you about that? If I bite you, I'll lose all self-control and you'll end up dead. I'm afraid your neck is too nice for me to take that risk."

"I have a silver knife for potions, I'll stab you with _that_ if you get too enthusiastic."

"If you're only in it for the money, I'd sooner give you half of what I've got than bite you."

"Really? Hand it over, then, because I need to get out of here. You're completely insane for coming here when you could have _**bought**_ your own apartment already."

"I know that, but if I was shacked up in an apartment, I couldn't be with you, could I?"

"Well, now that you're here, we can go find an apartment together, and then _neither_ of us will have to stay in this hellhole!"

"Look, just because you saw my boobs doesn't mean I'm going to –"

"_I didn't mean it like that and you know it, you filthy-minded animal!_ I meant we could live together as a _convenience_ and – you know what? Never mind. How about I give you a tour and we can pretend that we don't want to kill each other at the moment?"

"Hooray!"

As soon as Tom walked out into the hall, he changed his demeanor to the usual polite and helpful good citizen he pretended to be. It wore off quickly and soon, he was giving Nyx merciless anecdotes about the people they ran into and the rooms they visited – and some of them were rather lewd, or at least the rumors were. Tom made no effort to hide the disdain he felt for every last person in the orphanage, and he had a list of reasons why for each and every one.

"Heavens, you're almost as depressing as I am," Nyx snickered. "No wonder you don't want to be here. The environment seems to make you a lot nastier than usual."

Tom laughed, "Wait until you hear what I have to say about the neighborhood."

They ventured out into the city and meandered around the local area, as the Prefect gave a cynically entertaining commentary on everything they came across, from the barbershop that employed a suspected serial killer to a local stray dog that was said to have fathered hundreds of puppies across London. Tom was sure that Nyx would be a nuisance because she was new to city life and everything that went with it, but her childlike curiosity and high-energy pace kept Tom pleasantly occupied.

He admitted once again that she was quite fun to have around, and he really wasn't mad that she was there anymore. They seemed to have come to an unspoken understanding that, if they stayed together too long, they were bound to fight like cats and dogs. They often saw eye to eye, but sometimes it caused more problems than it should have. But from now on, they could get more time away from each other since they both had private rooms at the orphanage, as well as separate dorms at Hogwarts.

Now that their privacy needs had been sufficiently met, Nyx and Tom were getting along just as well as they originally did. They spent the next two weeks together in almost perfect harmony, roaming the streets of London and introducing Nyx to all the modern conveniences there.

Tom found out immediately that she had an irrational fear of every kind of automobile, and adamantly refused to go near one, just in case it tried to eat her. It annoyed him that she wouldn't get on a bus for anything, so they had to walk everywhere, but the extra time it took gave them more opportunities to talk and get to know each other better. It turned out that they had much more in common than they thought.

All through this time, Tom still worked tirelessly to come up with a proper apology for Nyx. As each day passed, he learned new things about her that made his job more complicated. Knowing her better made his apology seem less and less adequate with each passing day, and he found himself reforming it constantly. But it was never good enough for a perfectionist like him, and he eventually decided that he was stupid to have procrastinated so much because, knowing Nyx, she would be holding a secret grudge about it by now. If he had just said something simple earlier, she would probably be more willing to forgive him, but _now_…

Tom struggled to convince himself that he was doing the right thing, but he eventually sat down next to Nyx in the grassy, tree-lined side yard. She was absent-mindedly pulling up blades of grass and tying them into bows as she watched the younger children playing with a rubber ball.

"Nyx, there's something I have wanted to say to you for weeks, but I haven't quite known how," he began, speaking quietly so that no one would overhear him, even though no one was listening. "I… I want to apologize for offending you after that girl died. I know how I feel, but I have to admit that I've never been very adept at putting emotion into words. It's much easier for me to sound sorry if I'm lying through my teeth, but now that I actually _**am**_ sorry… It seems impossible for me to prove that I really mean it."

Nyx looked at him and gave him a small, reassuring smile. "It's always more convenient to hide your true feelings, although it makes your life more difficult because you're lying constantly. Acting out false emotions lets you project yourself in whatever way you please, and it prevents anyone from _really_ knowing what you're thinking. Being honest with yourself and others is usually agonizing and not worth the trouble, in my opinion. But I _do_ appreciate the gesture of you admitting that you can't apologize once you're actually sorry for something for once in your life, so please continue and don't mind how you phrase things. I'll know what you mean."

Tom stared at her for a bit before he comprehended what she had said. He began talking, still in that hushed voice, staring at the grass, "I'm sorry for underestimating you, and not respecting you, and insulting other non-humans like yourself. Most importantly, I'm sorry for coming across as an ignorant, mindless jackass who thinks of no one but himself. I really, truly didn't mean to offend you in any way, and I'm sincerely sorry that I did, not just because you almost killed me for it but because I didn't listen to you when I should have. I ignored your advice, I screwed up, and I wish I had taken your word more seriously.

"There was another thing I thought about recently that made me feel even sorrier… Believe me, I rarely feel repentant about anything, so you had better be memorizing this. I was thinking about your reaction to what I did to Hagrid, and I started wondering why you were so upset. It dawned on me that you would only be so angry if you had to put up with people like me for your whole life – people who were couldn't even be decent to you because they hated you so much. I thought that it must be hard enough to be someone like you, and that I would be furious if I was disrespected, too. You don't need to be hurt any more than you already have, not by anyone you could drink out of, and certainly not by me. And I can tell that you were hurt very badly because otherwise, you never would have gotten so worked up."

Tom looked up at her as he continued. "I was serious when I said that you were different from the others. You intimidated me, you threatened me, you even came close to killing me… No one has ever treated me like that before. You have no idea how much I respect you for doing all that to me. I didn't like it much at the time, but if you had allowed me to continue talking like that and done nothing, I'd think you were stupid and childishly immature for not telling me to shut the hell up. What you said did change my mind about some things… I certainly won't love every non-human I'll meet, but… I think if I assume that they're as ill tempered and touchy as you are, I'll get along with them just fine.

"And…" he added even more quietly, looking slightly embarrassed to be saying it. "Even though I've always known you weren't human, I still liked you. I still _do_ like you, in fact. I think too highly of you now to hate you just for being a you-know-what."

He fell silent and glanced at Nyx cautiously when she didn't respond. Her eyes were distant and unfocused as she considered her reply carefully, making Tom worry that she was going to reject it.

"Well, that's hardly what I was expecting to hear," she said, grinning slightly. "At the very least I would have told you that regardless of your true feelings, you need to learn some respect for us half-breeds and then you won't piss anyone _else_ off, but… I'm happier that you figured that one out on your own. And, of course, I'm thrilled that you gave this such serious consideration, and that you have a better understanding of my side of the story. I seriously thought you'd be as stubborn as usual and insist that you wouldn't change your beliefs just because of me, but apparently I did something right since I actually got through to you. …Maybe I should become a motivational speaker."

"Can I take that as an 'I forgive you for temporarily being a complete asshole'?" Tom asked, smirking.

"Certainly," she replied, finally looking at him. "I'm still just shocked that you took what I said to heart. You don't seem like the type who likes to take advice he didn't ask for."

"I hate it, but to be honest, I can be pretty flexible when the rewards are good enough," he added, lowering his voice again. "Speaking of which, now that I've apologized properly, could you possibly reconsider about the Horcrux business? I would be eternally in your debt if you just gave me the instructions, that's all I need."

The vampire turned back to the children and watched as a little boy kicked their ball onto the roof of the building next door, drawing jeers from his friends. She looked back at Tom after a moment and said, "I'll think about it."

He bit his tongue to remind himself not to screw up and say something rude now that they were back on good terms. He nodded silently, gritting his teeth in frustration. He was forced to spend the sleepless night wondering why she had to be so bloody difficult all the time. Tom remembered that she specifically said, "If you really want to learn how to make a Horcrux, you're going to have to come up with one hell of an apology better than that one." He had done that, hadn't he? Nyx said she accepted his apology, so why wasn't she holding up her end of the unspoken deal?

Tom's worries were silenced when he saw Nyx the next morning. As they walked down the hall together to get breakfast, the vampire pulled him into a small niche in the wall without warning and, putting her lips right next to his ear, hissed in Parseltongue, "_Come to the side yard at midnight, and wear something you don't mind getting dirty. Bring a warm coat, your wand, and something to put your soul in._"

Pleasant chills ran along Tom's entire body when he heard that, but he was too thrilled to stop and wonder if it was because he was finally getting a Horcrux, or if it was because of the way Nyx's voice sounded when she spoke Parseltongue.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not.

**A/N:** …uh. Wow. Nothing to say yet again! This is like, crazy. I rambled on for about 200 words in OKoE. WAAH. I HAS NO NEWS TO SHARE. HOW SAD.

Kudos to my lovely betas, Tiff and Shan.

**General Notes: **Guess where the barbershop serial killer idea came from… Sweeney Todd, of course! (Everyone probably got that right away, heh.)

I've been planning for years to have Nyx be a motorphobic. I think the concept of a super-powerful, immortal vampire being horrifically afraid of cars and such is absolutely priceless, especially because she's convinced that they can "eat" her if she gets too close. XD

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**--** **k**avi - **s**ama **--**


	10. Weak and Powerless

**Gemini**

Prologue to The Other Kind of Evil

**Chapter 10. **Weak and Powerless

"_Little angel go away,  
Come again some other day.  
The devil has my ear today.  
I'll never hear a word you say.  
He promised I would find a little solace  
And some piece of mind.  
Whatever, just as long as I don't feel so…  
Desperate and Ravenous,  
I'm so weak and powerless over you__.__"_

_- _"Weak and Powerless" © A Perfect Circle

Tom stared up at the blank ceiling of his room for hours that night. No matter how much he wished he could, he couldn't sleep. His mind was overrun with images of himself, the immortal and all-powerful ruler of the entire world, thanks to his precious seven Horcruxes, and his remarkable skill, of course. In a few mere hours he would have his first taste of immortality, and with it, he would have taken an astronomical leap ahead of nearly everyone else that had ever sought eternal life.

Obviously enough people had created Horcruxes in the past for others to find out about them, but there would have been very few of those brave individuals. Tom wasn't afraid to kill like so many of his weaker fellow humans, and he certainly didn't mind doing it seven times. He could think of ten times that many people that he would like to kill anyway, so it didn't seem like a particularly difficult task. Who would have thought that immortality could be obtained so easily?

The hours dragged on towards midnight. He was fully dressed in his least favorite shirt and pants; Nyx told him to wear something he could get dirty. His threadbare winter coat, the warmest thing he had, was laid out at the foot of his bed; Nyx told him to bring it, though he didn't understand why. His wand sat on top of the coat, awaiting the rare chance to be used outside of Hogwarts.

Slytherin's ring had been on his finger all night because he was inexplicably worried about misplacing it when he needed it most. The prize he won for his first murder was only too appropriate to become his first Horcrux.

The Grandfather Clock in the hall finally chimed 12 o'clock. Tom all but leapt onto his feet as he stowed his wand in his pocket, grabbed his coat, and stopped himself abruptly when he almost ran out into the hall. The anxiety was killing him as he crept silently downstairs and exited through one of the side doors; other kids had been caught trying to sneak out of the orphanage in the middle of the night, and their punishment had been humiliating. He stepped into the yard and scanned the small area for his "teacher." She materialized out of the shadow of a tree as if on cue, greeting him silently with a placid smile.

"You look like you haven't slept a wink," Nyx said.

"No, I had too much on my mind," Tom replied, smirking. "I brought everything you asked me to, but I don't understand why I need a coat when it's this warm out."

"Because you're going to be very, very cold in a little while," she replied simply. "Just trust that I know what I'm doing, all right?"

He nodded, although he wasn't totally convinced.

"Give me your arm so I can teleport us somewhere more private," the vampire said. Once she took a firm grip on his shirt, the world around them was soon obscured by a black veil. Teleportation was far more comfortable than apparating, but Tom still didn't like the feeling that his body was being taken apart particle by particle, and then blasted off in some unknown direction. As Nyx released his arm several moments later, he thankfully felt himself being put back together. With solid ground under his feet again, the black veil lifted and he saw that they were deep in the middle of a forest.

"Where are we?" he asked as Nyx wandered around, apparently making sure that she picked a good spot.

"The Black Forest, in Germany, or so the maps told me," she replied casually. "I've never been here, but it seems like a good place to make a Horcrux. It's quiet, secluded, and there's no one around for miles to hear you scream."

"Scream?" Tom asked suddenly, giving her a sharp look. "Could you perhaps explain the entire process to me before we do anything else? And who exactly would be screaming?"

"_You_ would, silly. You didn't think this would be a pleasant experience, did you?"

"Well, I assumed there would be some pain, I suppose, but… I can't say I'm prone to screaming about anything, even pain. I broke my finger when I was six, and I didn't cry at all."

"There's much more than simple, 'surface' pain to be had, I can assure you of that. But first things first. You need to understand the risks of this procedure before you even _think_ of attempting it."

Nyx sat down on a mossy rock and gave him a hard look as she continued speaking. "If you fuck this up, you will die at the very _**least**_. That's how it's always been, and how it always will be. Understand that? You have one chance to do this right, or you pay the price. I'm here to help you avoid that, but if it happens, there's little I can do for you."

"What could possibly be worse than dying?" Tom asked, utterly bewildered.

"Instead of just removing and splitting your soul, you could damage it beyond repair. That would effectively destroy your mind and make life a living hell for you. You'd live in constant agony, feeling nothing but emptiness and hopelessness, unable to experience normal human emotions, unable to process coherent thoughts. There's no way to cure a broken soul; you'd be like that for the rest of your life, which, admittedly, would probably be cut short by your own hand. Death would _certainly_ be better than living like that, in my opinion.

"…of course, there's also the possibility that by damaging your soul, you make it impossible to put it back inside your body. Your body can handle a short period of separation, but if it goes on too long, you would end up dead. That's why it's okay to remove only _**part**_ of your soul, not the whole thing, as long as there's another part still inside of you."

Nyx went on, "Or, at the worst, you could destroy your soul altogether. I mean the entire thing, not just the fragment you're trying to manipulate. That's a worst-case scenario, but if there's room for human interference, there's room for human error. You can quote me on that one."

"What happens if you destroy your soul entirely?" he asked, looking a little worried.

"You cease to exist. Instead of your soul moving on into the next dimension and continuing its existence in a different form – _poof!_ It vanishes, taking you with it. If you think resurrecting the dead is hard, you should try bringing back someone who doesn't exist anymore. It's not a pretty picture to watch, either, so don't make me see it."

"What are the chances of that happening?"

Nyx laughed lightly. "Low, if you ask me. You're brilliant, you're skilled with magic, and you're completely determined to get this Horcrux. I think you'll be as careful as possible. Regardless of what I think of _you_, remember what I said about human error. If there's one thing I've learned over the past millennium, it's that nothing is absolute, and nothing is perfect. You can be as careful as you like, and you can still get screwed. But, of course, if you want the Horcrux badly enough, I should think that you would try to succeed anyway."

Tom leaned against a tree and stared at a cluster of mushrooms on the ground as he thought it over.

"Is immortality worth the risk?" Nyx asked, staring at him in high anticipation.

Tom looked up at her quickly and instantly made up his mind. "Of course it is!"

The vampire grinned at him. "That's what I thought. I wasn't going to tell you anything else unless I knew how dedicated you were to the idea. I'm glad you're not taking this lightly." She rose to her feet and stood in front of him, ready to begin the "lesson."

"First, you need to prepare your body to release your soul. You don't seem like the type who does any prayerful meditation, and neither am I, so I'll explain it in different terms. You have to center yourself in the very core of your body – your heart. Everything has to be focused there; your magic, your emotions, your energy, everything. You must be calm and focused, or you risk your own destruction. This is the key step that quiets your nerves and helps to prevent mistakes later on; the people that skip this part are the ones who end up nonexistent. It helped me to imagine that my heart was the ocean, and that there were rivers flowing through my body, collecting the energy I needed to focus there. All rivers empty into the ocean, so there you are. Envision whatever you like, so long as it works. I'll tell you if I think you're ready to move on.

"Once you've centered yourself, you perform the first spell, _Vello Animus_. This pulls your soul out of your body. It will feel somewhat like what you did to center yourself, except horribly painful. Once your soul is out, you perform the second spell, _Frango Animus_. This shatters your soul into about a hundred little pieces, which is necessary in order to fit it into a small object. This is the one where most people mess up and end up dead or nonexistent. You have to use just the right amount of force; too little will damage your soul but not shatter it, and too much will obliterate it. Just remember that it's your own soul, and you should be gentle but firm with it, and you should be all right."

"What do you mean by 'most people'?" he asked. "Considering how few people probably ever wanted to make a Horcrux, I don't think that accounts for many of them, which makes me think you're exaggerating that part a bit."

"Tom, you have no idea how popular the Horcrux idea is, do you?" Nyx asked, laughing a little. "Hundreds of thousands of people have attempted it because it sounded rather easy, and most of them ended up dead or erased from existence. That's why you don't hear about them very much, and that's why most people tell you _**not**_ to make one. The ones that succeeded were usually serial killers and psychotics. Not a very good image for immortality, is it? Ironically it seems that one needs to have a "stone cold killing machine" disposition, and a good measure of insanity, to earn a Horcrux anyway."

"Yeah, very ironic," he murmured as he thought, "_Well, I already have the serial killer part done with. I've been wondering about my sanity for a few years, too… Oh, well. Once I'm immortal, I won't care what people think of me, crazy or not_."

He thought for another moment and suddenly asked, "You obviously have a Horcrux yourself since you know how to make one, but why? A vampire wouldn't really need one, unless you get really nervous around churches or something, right?"

"That's true, but I never planned on becoming a vampire, did I?" she replied with a small smile. "I made the Horcrux not too long before I was bitten. In fact, it was probably because of the Horcrux itself that I didn't bleed to death. I'm still not sure if I'm grateful or pissed off about that. Anyway, let me finish giving the instructions before I entertain you with stories about myself.

"The third spell is _Coerceo Animus_, which you also need to be very careful with. That one is used to direct one fragment of your soul into the object you've chosen. The danger here is poor aim. If you put it in the wrong object, it's very tough to get out. There's also the possibility that the fragment will just go back into your body, which is annoying but not dangerous. Your biggest worry is putting the fragment into another living thing. Take that tree you're standing next to, for example. Why wouldn't you want that for a Horcrux?"

"It's a tree in Germany, and there's no way I could ever keep an eye on it or protect it," Tom said flatly.

"Exactly!" Nyx chirped. "The same thing goes for animals and people. Turning the basilisk into a Horcrux will _**not**_ make it an immortal uber-basilisk. It'll just give you premature gray hair worrying about how she's doing and if she's ever in any danger of death. If you insist on using an animal, make sure you pick one that you can keep an amazingly close eye on – maybe a turtle. You wouldn't have to worry about it running off on you, and it has its own defenses."

"What about using another person?" he asked. Tom tried very hard to conceal the exciting idea that had just struck him.

"I already told you not to do it," Nyx replied bluntly. "A person with a working mind can take dangerous risks and even commit suicide, not to mention be killed or get a horrible disease, and any number of other things; their death would destroy the part of your soul that you hid within them. Would you trust anyone enough to take care of your soul at such an intimate level?"

"What if the other person was immortal, too?"

Nyx stared at him silently. "…I know what you're thinking, and the answer is no. I will not be a Horcrux for you, and I would never want you to be a Horcrux for me. End of discussion."

"Sorry," he said quietly, looking away. "It was just an idea."

"Yes, a _**bad**_ idea," she said with an air of finality. "Back to the matter at hand… There is one final spell you must use at the end to put your soul back in its rightful place; _Resarcio Animus_. I'm certain that no one could mess that up, so I doubt there are any dangers if it's not quite perfect. After that…"

Nyx paused, giving him a strange glance. "…after that, it'll be over with. You'll have a Horcrux, you'll be immortal, and you'll be desperately in need of my help. I'm frankly more worried about the aftershock than the process itself. Some people who succeeded in creating a Horcrux were killed by what happened to them afterwards… Though, of course, their new Horcrux saved them, but it's a sorry waste of a perfectly good soul, if you ask me. I wouldn't worry about it. You have me here, after all, and I know what's going to happen."

"Why aren't you _**telling**_ me what will happen?" Tom asked, sounding worried again. "If you think that keeping me in suspense is funny, it's not."

"I'm not being cruel, I just… I just know you're not going to believe me if I tell you now, and it makes no difference if you know or not. If everything else works out, then the aftermath will automatically follow. You'll be in no state to fight it, either," she explained. "Like I said before, just trust that I know what I'm doing and I will do whatever I can to make sure you don't fail, or die, or cease to exist."

He stared at her, wondering whether he really trusted her as much as he thought he did. True, he wanted the Horcrux badly, but was Nyx really the best person to be "looking out for him"? She was still a vampire, and he still knew remarkably little about her, other than the fact that she was unpredictable and very aggressive… What if she was just leading him into a trap so that she could kill him and get her dinner?

…No. Tom knew that was wrong. Nyx had already knocked him flat with one blow before; if she wanted to kill him, she could have done it without tricking him into anything. But that still left another question; Why did she care if he succeeded or not? It wouldn't affect _her_ in the grand scheme of things, no matter what happened. Tom knew she must have had some reason to help him, but his questions could wait until after he was immortal.

"…all right. I think I'm ready," he said, laying the hand-me-down wool coat over a low branch nearby.

"There's one last thing I need to know before I let you do this," Nyx said quietly. "Do you trust me?"

Tom stared. "…can you read people's minds? I mean, _**without**_ legilimency?"

"I asked you first."

"Yes. I trust you."

"I can if I concentrate hard enough. Why did you ask?"

"Uh… Curiosity."

"This is a funny time to be curious about something like that."

"How long did you say this would take? It's already late, so…"

"Only a few minutes if you don't have any problems," she said, sitting down on the rock again and giving him a slightly annoyed look for dodging her question. "If you're so anxious to continue, then by all means."

Standing in the clearest part of the area, Tom let his body relax and got his breathing to fall into a steady, calm pace. Closing his eyes, he used Nyx's "ocean" technique to center himself. He thought off-hand that it actually felt pretty nice, and he should try it again the next time something really pissed him off and he needed to calm down.

"Good. You may continue," Nyx said, gesturing for him to start using his wand.

Tom opened his eyes slowly, and as he pointed the tip at his chest, said in a voice that sounded strangely unlike his own, "_Vello animus_."

A shock of intense, freezing pain shot through every nerve in his body, leaving him feeling suddenly flimsy and sore. He felt his soul being slowly drawn out, piece by piece, from every part of his body. Tom struggled not to cry out in pain; it felt like a hundred Golden Snitches were being drawn out through his veins. The horrible sensation stopped at his heart, and for a moment Tom thought the worst was over. Then, with a blinding flash of light, his soul tore through his chest into the open air.

The force nearly knocked him out cold. Tom collapsed onto his hands and knees, gasping and choking as he coughed and struggled for air at the same time. His free hand gripped the spot over his heart tightly, as if to protect it from another violent blow. He wanted to scream and cry because the pain was so bad, but his body was under too much strain to obey him.

Nyx appeared beside him, crouched low on the ground. Softly, she said, "Pain alone cannot kill someone like you. Remember, you are still alive, and you will be for a long time if you overcome such a minor obstacle. If you survive this, you can survive _anything_."

Tom looked up at her, and his face was white as a sheet. He winced every time his heart beat. Nyx stood up and backed off, giving him a reassuring look. Tom rested his head on the soil as he fought to put himself into a "mind over matter" mode. As his breathing grew calmer, and his body stopped quivering, the vampire knew he was doing just fine. In a few moments, he managed to stand up on his own again, staggering a little at first. As soon as he saw the single mass of glowing, colorless, smoky light that was his soul, he regained his composure completely.

Gripping his wand tightly, he pointed it at his detached soul and spoke with ringing force, "_Frango animus_!"

The unified, shapeless mass exploded into a hundred tiny shards once the spell landed. They looked like fireflies as they zoomed around, still softly glowing with a strange colorless light. The fragments of his soul began to circle Tom like a cloud of electrons, illuminating his tall figure. Nyx watched silently, admiring the effect the eerie light had on his image. He glanced at her for approval, and she nodded.

Raising his free hand, Tom displayed Slytherin's ring. He targeted one piece of his soul and spoke again in that slightly inhuman voice, "_Coerceo animus_."

The firefly-like shard's glowing aura blinked a few times, and zoomed towards him, halting at the tip of his wand. Tom directed the fragment by touching the black stone with the tip. It flew at the ring and struck the dark stone, splashing up like a milk droplet in slow motion. As each drop landed on the ring, it melted into its surface and vanished. The ring shuddered a little on his finger, but Tom soon felt a warm energy radiating from it, coursing up through his arm into the rest of his body, making his blood pump faster, his hair stand on end, and his muscles ache pleasantly.

And suddenly, it hit him.

"…I am immortal," he whispered. "…_Immortal_…"

Just saying the word gave him chills. Tom stared at the ring and the other pieces of his shattered soul as they circled him endlessly, and a smile slowly spread across his face. He didn't know what to do with himself as a drunken sense of power overwhelmed him; all he could do was stand there and laugh triumphantly in the face of death.

With an expression of wild happiness, he turned to Nyx again and said smugly, "That wasn't _nearly_ as bad as you made it sound."

Nyx opened her mouth to reply, but she stopped abruptly when she saw his face. The ethereal light shone in his dark eyes, making them glow blood red for a few seconds. With those eyes and his somewhat bestial expression, he looked like a demon. Nyx couldn't help but grin from ear-to-ear as she replied calmly, "You'll have time to revel if your awesomeness later. For now, put the rest of your soul back into your body before it wanders off on you."

Tom turned to glance around at the circling fragments, and noticed that a few had drifted away towards some of the trees and mushrooms. Apparently his soul had a mid of it's own, and it was a curious one.

"I almost forgot," he laughed. "I hardly feel any different now that it's outside my body."

"You'll feel it soon enough," Nyx said patiently.

Pointing his wand at the cloud of glowing shards, Tom said, "_Resarcio animus_!"

He had no warning, no chance to brace himself for the impact of every last fragment slamming into his body and cutting their way through to their rightful places. He was instantly sobered by the jarring pain he felt at the site of every impact. This time, the pain overwhelmed him and he immediately collapsed backwards – into Nyx's waiting arms.

She gently laid him on the ground, resting his head in her lap and holding on to his shoulders as he shivered uncontrollably. Nyx touched his forehead and felt that he was freezing cold, so she pulled his coat off of the branch and wrapped it around him. Tom was only half-conscious as he lay there, occasionally whimpering and groaning in pain. The Horcrux took an enormous toll on him, and this was what Nyx meant by the "aftermath" being worse than anything else in the process.

And it wasn't just deep, physical pain he was suffering from. His head was spinning as horrific visions and thoughts spread through his mind like a cancer. He held his head in his hands and murmured, "No… Get out of my head… Leave me alone…"

Nyx waited to see if this part of the experience was going to get any worse. She already knew that this was the obligatory "Sixty Second Insanity" all Horcrux-makers went through, which was a natural reaction to violating one's soul so mercilessly. If he could get over it on his own, it would make him that much more powerful…but if he couldn't, she'd have to bring him back to reality or else it could become permanent.

It _did_ get worse, and very quickly, too. Tom's face contorted with pain as he dug his nails into his head, as if he was trying to claw out the terrible thoughts in his mind. His protests became more frantic and desperate with every passing moment until he was screaming in agony and sheer terror at whatever he was seeing behind his closed eyes.

Nyx finally decided that she needed to step in for his sake. "It's not real, Tom."

As soon as she said his name, his eyes snapped open and his pained, terrified expression vanished. His hands slowly fell away from his face, lying limply at his sides as he stared up at her blankly. After a few moments, he blinked and a tear escaped from each eye.

"…why am I so weak?" Tom asked in a quiet, hoarse voice.

"You're not weak," she replied. "If you _were_ weak, you never would have made it this far."

He looked away from her, absolutely ashamed that he was crying from "a little pain," as he thought of it. He tried to sit up, but his weakened arms gave out on him and he fell back into Nyx's lap. He cursed under his breath and lay there as more tears leaked out of his eyes silently. After a short while, his arms subconsciously wrapped themselves around Nyx's hips. Satisfied that he had finally calmed down, the vampire began rubbing his back gently, comforting him in a soft voice, "I know how you feel."

She waited for a long time until the aftershock had completely worn off and Tom was finally able to think straight. He was still extremely weak and very sore, but she tried to help him stand up on his own. Tom, however, was clearly not ready for it because a wave of nausea hit him like a wall, and he fell to his knees, doubling over as he threw up. Nyx pulled him up just as he was about to faint face-first into it, supporting most of his weight for him as he coughed feebly.

"Come on, I know you can still walk if you try," she insisted, though she didn't dare sound forceful. "Technically, I _**can**_ carry you, but it's going to be bridal-style and you'll never forgive me for not leaving you here alone instead."

Tom smiled briefly before he cringed as another pain erupted somewhere in his body. He said in a shaky voice, "I'm s-sorry I can't take better care of my-myself…"

"Enough with the self-loathing bullshit! Why do you think I came with you? You couldn't make it three inches in any direction without my help right now," she retorted, rolling her eyes at him. "What a piece of work you are…"

"I f-feel… like I'm… d-dying…" he whispered.

"It's a passing thing, sort of like a cold," Nyx explained. "It's perfectly normal, so don't worry about it. You'll get better over the next couple days. In a week, you'll be as good as new."

"A _**week**_?" he asked, giving her the most pitifully depressed look she had ever seen.

"Look on the bright side. At least you don't have tuberculosis like I did when I made my first. I almost died three times in three minutes."

"Your… _**first**_? You mean… you made more than one?"

"Yes. That's the only reason I can allow you to try it yourself. I know what to expect in that regard. I promise, once you're totally over the pain and sickness that comes with the first one, the rest will seem like nothing at all."

"…why didn't you tell me that before?"

"What difference would it have made?"

"I… um… n-never mind. Can we go back now? I feel dizzy… and I can barely stand up…"

"Yeah, I can see that," she replied. He had been leaning on her heavily the entire time, but considering the vampire's strength and Tom's thinness, it wasn't much of a problem.

Nyx teleported them back to the orphanage's side yard. Everything was still and quiet; apparently no one knew they were missing. Tom put his arm around Nyx's shoulders as she did most of the work to get him inside the building. Once they were safely in the hall, Nyx began pondering how she was going to get him up to the second floor, when the matron's office light flicked on, illuminating both of them as they each resembled a deer in headlights.

Mrs. Cole appeared before them, furious. Nyx stared at her calmly, and Tom bit his tongue to prevent himself from crying out in pain; the sudden, bright light made him feel like his eyes had just exploded in his skull.

"Where the devil have you two _been_?" she hissed, glaring at them both like they were wanted criminals.

"Tom has come down with a rather nasty bug, I'm afraid," Nyx said smoothly. "I thought the night air would do him some good, but now he's tired and feels even worse, so I'm helping him back to his room."

"What sort of 'bug'?" Mrs. Cole demanded skeptically.

"A 'special' bug, if you catch my drift," she said.

Tom caught on to Nyx's plot immediately and nodded his head weakly, trying to look as pitiful and sickly as he could.

The matron eyed him warily, taking two steps backwards. "Uh… 'Special,' you said? Meaning… the M-word?"

"Yes, the M-word," Nyx replied gravely.

Mrs. Cole cleared her throat and straightened up, saying in a very businesslike manner, "Well then, I suppose it's out of my hands, isn't it? You seem to know how to cure it…?"

"Oh, yes, of course, and as you can see, he's in no state to fend for himself," she responded emphatically, appearing to be highly concerned. "I already offered to help him for the next several days, until he's well again. I hope that's all right with you."

"Yes, right, fine by me," Mrs. Cole said, smiling strangely. "I'm sure Tom will be very grateful for anything you can do to make him feel better."

She gave him a pointed look, and he responded with a fierce glower, as if to say "you don't _**seriously**_ think I'm that ungrateful and stupid, do you?"

"Well, good night then, and the best of luck to you two," the matron added, turning to shut off the light in her office. When she saw the raised eyebrows she received, she said quickly, "That is – I meant – with the M-word bug – and all that."

Nyx waited for Mrs. Cole to disappear into her own room before she looked up at Tom and shrugged. "I have _no_ idea what that was about. Come on, let's get you upstairs before you pass out on top of me."

"Can't you just teleport me up there…?" he asked weakly.

"They're _**stairs**_, you big baby."

Tom tried his damnedest to give her the most intensely sorrowful puppy eyes he could. Nyx stared back at him with a straight face. "Oh, quit it. That will _never_ work on me," she snapped.

He leaned in a little and continued staring at her plaintively.

"I hate puppies," Nyx growled. "I kick them around for fun. And then I _eat_ them."

Tom added a slight pout to the puppy eyes, and the vampire finally caved in. Sighing monstrously, she grumbled, "Don't get too used to this treatment, you sissy. You could make it up those stairs if you _had_ to."

With a poof of dark smoke, the pair disappeared, and with another poof, they materialized in Tom's dark room. After flicking on the bedside lamp, Nyx helped him lower himself onto the bed, cringing as his cramp-ridden muscles stung hotly. The Prefect carefully removed his coat and she took it from him automatically, hanging it up in his wardrobe without being asked. Tom gingerly removed his shoes; the post-Horcrux pains were coming back with a vengeance.

"Is it normal for me to feel fine, then be in agony, and then get better again?" he asked, gasping suddenly when his diaphragm contracted in a spasm of pain.

"Yes, but if you're lucky, you won't have to suffer through most of it," she replied, stalking back over to him and pushing his shoes out of her way with her foot. "You won't have much energy until you fully recover. You should get plenty of rest, and it won't be hard because you're going to be very, very tired for a while. Even if you just pass out between muscle cramps, you'll be able to sleep quite soundly, I assure you."

"Good," he murmured, laying flat on his back and taking a deep breath. Tom wasn't going to be bothered with changing his clothes, especially since he knew Nyx the Perverted Freak wouldn't leave the room anyway.

"Before you doze off, you should take off the ring," she added, speaking a little more quietly. "It won't help you heal if you're wearing your Horcrux all the time."

"What am I supposed to do with it, though?" he asked, struggling to keep his eyes open.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on it until it's safe for you to wear it again," Nyx offered, holding out her hand as she crouched beside the bed. "You know I won't do anything to it."

Tom stared at her for a moment before slipping the ring off of his finger and placing it in her palm. Her pale fingers closed around it protectively, and before she could move away, Tom reached over and pulled her towards him in a gentle half-hug.

"…thank you…" he whispered softly into her dark hair. His light hold on her gave way as he slumped back into the feathery, white pillow, and was sound asleep.

Nyx backed away quickly once she got a clear look at his fully exposed neck. Feeling his warm breath on her own neck had given her chills that she hadn't felt in a thousand years, and seeing a throat as delicious-looking as his made her very hungry. Her bloodthirsty nature nagged at her to take advantage of his weakened state and see what his blood really tasted like, but as she gripped her father's ring tightly in her hand, she was able to force the feeling down until she returned to normal.

Nyx conjured up a chair when she decided that she should stay with him all night, just in case he had another bout of insanity or something. His mind was pretty screwed up as it was, so she knew not to expect a smooth recovery for him. But she knew from the start that he was capable of making a Horcrux or seven, and he wouldn't let anything defeat him until he succeeded. She admired that drive and determination in herself as much as she did in him.

But Nyx knew that Horcruxes wouldn't be enough to satisfy his high ambitions. Unfortunately, he alone wasn't powerful, skilled, or knowledgeable enough to achieve the lofty goals he had in mind. He would need her help and guidance whether he liked it or not. And Nyx was ready and willing to push him as hard as she needed to make sure he got what he wanted, even if it meant breaking him.

She knelt next to the bed and watched Tom sleep for several long minutes, hesitating. Eventually she leaned over and kissed him on the forehead lightly, before saying quietly, "Don't worry about a thing. I'll help you become the man you were born to be."

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not.

**A/N:** Longest chapter yet, and still only 6000 words! Yay! I have an AP Biology test on Monday, May 12th, so I might not get much work done between now and then since I'll be studying my ass off for it. I'll settle for a 3, but I really want a 4. 5 would be absolutely fantastic but I don't think I'll be able to do _**that**_ well. (For those who don't know, AP tests are scored between 0 and 5, 0 being the absolute lowest (you at least get a 1 for putting your name on the paper) and 5 being the highest, though you apparently don't have to get a perfect score for a 5. I guess they take the highest score and make that a 5 and go form there. My teacher told us that a 5 usually means you got only half of the questions right. XD)

Kudos to my lovely betas, Tiff and Shan.

**General Notes: **This was a fun chapter because I got to let all of those descriptive juices out of my system. Technically, very little actually happens in this chapter, so I decided to flesh it out by making it sound prettier. XD Also the title song is just perfect for this chapter, isn't it? Hee.

As far as all the spells and whatnot used to make the Horcrux with, I made them all up myself long before Deathly Hallows came out, and I like my version better than the canon version because mine is specific, logical and really fun to write. So take _that_, JKR.

I've just realized that some of the people I write are ridiculously gullible. Go reread Mrs. Cole's reaction to the "M-word bug" and you'll see what I mean. Heh.

POUTY PUPPY FACE AHAHAHA. I couldn't resist. If I met Voldemort in real life, I would totally tease the fuck out of him because after writing this crap, I could never take him seriously. XD

Aww, the first vaguely cute ending! How precious. …except, you know…it's Nyx and Tom…so it's not really _that_ cute.

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**--** **k**avi - **s**ama **--**


	11. Us and Them

**Gemini**

Prologue to The Other Kind of Evil

**Chapter 11. **Us and Them

"_Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You, too? Thought I was the only one."__"_

_- _C.S. Lewis

"I'll take two, please."

"Oh, right. Tom Riddle's been sick, ain't he? An' you're the girl what's takin' care of him?"

"Yes, something like that."

"Well tell him we're all prayin' for a speedy recovery from whatever it is that's ailin' him. Lord knows us girls miss him dearly, if you know what I mean!"

Nyx smirked as the girl giggled and blushed a little. Taking a second plate of food, she replied, "I'll tell him you said that."

The girl gasped in horror and protested, "No, no, no, you mustn't! He'll never come out of his room if he knows we'll all be starin' at his arse all day long!"

The vampire burst into peals of hysterical laughter.

"Well, you have to admit, it ain't a bad sight," the girl added. "Nicest arse around, anyway."

Wiping tears from her eyes, Nyx said, "I can't disagree with you there. I'd really, truly love to stay and chat about Tom Riddle's ass with you, but if I take much longer with his food, he'll be very angry with me, and I don't need that."

A minute or so later, she quietly entered his room and saw that he was seated on the end of his bed, staring out the window, looking very melancholy. Nyx was afraid she'd start laughing as soon as she saw him, but seeing that he was in another one of his moods helped her resist the urge.

"I brought breakfast, Tom," she said.

He looked at her slowly, and turned back to the window, muttering, "…I'm not hungry…"

"You've barely eaten for the past three days," she said exasperatedly. "I know you're still sick and still in pain now and then, but you need to eat something or you'll never get your strength back."

"If I'm not hungry, I'm not hungry," he replied simply.

Nyx rolled her eyes and sat down in her usual chair, and began munching on her pancakes. "Do what you want. I'll just leave the plate."

He continued staring out the window, looking bored and unhappy. She ate in silence, watching him and becoming rather worried about him. When she was finished, she said, "Look, I _know_ you feel miserable and depressed because of the Horcrux sickness; it's a natural part of the mental damage it causes, but you can't let it control you like this. You have to fight it somehow. What do you do for fun? Maybe that will cheer you up."

"Fun?" Tom repeated, giving her an incredulous look.

"Oh, that's right, _**you**_ don't have fun," she murmured. "Well, what _would_ you do if you actually _wanted_ to have fun?"

He sighed and turned back to the window. "I'm not in the mood for this nonsense…"

Nyx frowned at him and thought for a few moments, before a wicked grin crept across her face. "Do you want to stare at my boobs again?"

"_**What?!**_" he yelped, whipping his head around to gape at her. "You _know_ that won't solve anything!"

"Oh…" Nyx sighed dejectedly. "…What if I let you feel them?" She prodded the left one and wiggled her eyebrows to illustrate.

Tom opened his mouth to say something, but she had rendered him speechless. As his cheeks started turning pinkish, he snapped, "Get out of here already! Stop trying to corrupt me!"

"Too late!" Nyx snickered. "If you were as pure as you pretended to be, you would have had a different reaction the first time you saw them."

Tom ignored her. "Did I not just tell you to leave?"

"Well, I'm _sorry_ my boobs no longer appeal to you," she said with a huff. "But don't think that by rejecting that proposition, I'll offer you anything more blatantly sexual. I don't mind if you look or poke around a bit, but _intense_ touching is out-of-bounds at this point."

"I'm glad to see that you have some morals after all," he replied flatly. "Now _go away_. I've had enough of your perversion for one day, and I've heard more than enough about your…_things_ for a lifetime."

Nyx stared at him for several long moments before saying as if she had an epiphany, "Ohh, so you swing the _**other**_ way!"

"_**WHAT?!**_" Tom nearly shrieked, jumping off the bed he was so furious. "I _DO **NOT**_! THAT'S _REPULSIVE_! HOW _DARE_ YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT RIGHT TO MY FACE!"

"Denial."

"_**I AM NOT IN DENIAL!**_"

"You sure are lively when you get riled up. Otherwise you're pretty languid."

Tom could only stand there, seething at her and hoping she would go outside and get hit by a double-decker bus.

"Tell you what," Nyx said, folding her hands in front of her. "If you agree to go out with me and have fun today, I swear to you that I will cease and desist all jokes about boobs, boners, and whichever one you may prefer. How's that?"

"…I want it in writing."

"Fine."

"Signed in blood."

"…okay, that, too."

"With collateral."

"Like what?"

"Anything that will compensate for whatever further damage you might inflict upon me today, be it physical or mental. Your soul would do nicely."

"Someone's cranky today. That time of the month again, is it? …I'm kidding, _I'm kidding_! Put down the chair _and I don't mean by throwing it in my direction_!"

--

"Ooh, let's go in here!" Nyx grabbed Tom roughly by the wrist and tried to drag him into a building as they walked down the street side-by-side.

"Do you even know what this place is?" he asked critically. He was still in a very bad mood form the morning's events.

"Who cares? It's shiny!" The vampire was bouncing on her toes as she admired the blinking lights around the entrance. After slathering on a gallon of extra-powerful sunscreen, Nyx had worn a long-sleeved white blouse, a flowing blood red skirt that reached her ankles ("I _told_ you this style looked better on me!" "It makes you look fat – _**OW!**_"), and her wide-brimmed straw hat. She would take no chances on a sunny, unpleasant day like this.

"This is a movie theater, and I refuse to have my brain melted by that drivel."

"What's a movie?" Nyx asked curiously.

Tom paused to think of the best way to explain it, and settled for, "It's sort of like enchanted paintings and photographs, except the scenes change in movies and they're quite complex."

"How on earth do they manage _that_?"

He sighed and replied, "I have no idea how the Muggles do _anything_, let alone create movies. Can we please go somewhere else?"

"_**Muggles**_ make these things?" Nyx piped up, looking shocked and delighted at the same time. "_**Really**_? I thought _we_ were the only ones capable of something like that!"

"Yes, _somehow_ they pulled it off, wonderful for them," he said, waving it away with his hand. "Let's _go_ already. You said we were supposed to do something _fun_ today, and standing in the middle of the sidewalk talking about Muggles is _not_ my idea of fun."

"But they're showing one of those movie things in fifteen minutes!" Nyx protested, pointing at the sign in the box office window. "…_Gone with the Wind_. I wonder what it's about."

"Then keep wondering because we are _**not**_ –"

"Two please!"

Tom had to clench his jaw tightly to stop himself from screaming at her, but it was too late anyway. Nyx bought the tickets, stuffed one into his unwilling hand, and pulled him inside the opulent theater. She bought an enormous box of popcorn when she couldn't stand the delicious smell any longer; Tom refused to eat any more of "that disgusting Muggle food" than he had to, so Nyx insisted that she wouldn't share with him no matter how much he begged.

Four hours later, the pair emerged from the theater, laughing and in much better spirits.

"I wonder if anyone in London sells Civil-War-Era American dresses," Nyx said wistfully.

"Highly unlikely," Tom replied. "Why? Do you want to do a reenactment or something?"

"No but that sounds like a _great_ idea!"

"I should learn when to keep my mouth shut."

"I sort of look like Scarlette anyway, don't I?"

"And you have her personality to boot. All you need is the accent, some better manners and the right clothes, and you're all set."

"Why does that sound like a veiled insult? You're not too different from Rhett, now that I think about it. You're just paler, scrawnier, less worldly, less wealthy, and not _nearly_ as handsome as he is."

"I have more class than he does in his stupid gold-plated cufflinks."

"Well, that's true. And you're more polite. You're equally twisted and egotistical, though."

"…you thought he was handsome?"

"Not really. I just wanted to piss you off again."

"Hmph. I'm glad I'm not the one paying for this outing or I would have taken you home for that one."

Nyx laughed as she trotted along the street, with Tom following behind her. His long strides allowed him to keep a good pace with her without having to quicken his steps. Glancing at a large clock on the side of a bank, he saw that it was nearly 2 o'clock in the afternoon. His stomach growled loudly.

The vampire stopped abruptly and turned to look at him, smirking. "Did that noise come from _you_?"

"I haven't eaten anything all day," he replied, whining just a little bit. "If you had just given me some of your food I wouldn't be starving."

"You refused the popcorn the first time I offered to share, so I saw no point in offering again. I'm still hungry, anyway, so we ought to go find a place to eat."

Tom nodded happily and stared scanning the area for a restaurant that would suit him…when his eye caught a rather small, brightly colored, richly decorated building sandwiched between two towering, concrete behemoths. He almost had to slap himself to take his eyes off the place; he was lucky he had a conscience, or he would have pranced over there, singing hymns of joy.

He cleared his throat as he stood beside Nyx and told her slyly, "Do you see anything promising on _the other side_ of the street?"

She immediately looked, and her attention was hooked on the bright, shiny objects she was so easily distracted by. "Pretty colors!" she yelled as she streaked across the busy street towards it, dodging the cars as if they were ravenous sharks swimming through a two-lane ocean. She still hadn't gotten over her motorphobia, but she wasn't going to let that keep her away from such an interesting looking little building.

Tom followed her with much more caution to find her with her face pressed against the glass, peering inside like some sort of culinary stalker. Pointing through the window, she asked as Tom approached, "What's all this?"

"Ice cream," he replied, forcing a childishly enormous grin down. "Do you want to try some?"

"Hell yes!"

Nyx yanked him through the door, though he would have happily run in there even faster than she did. She once again plastered her face onto the glass over the twenty different flavors of ice cream on display. Tom waited impatiently for her to decide which one sounded best, and firmly told her that, no, she could _not_ ask if they had blood-flavored ice cream, because they didn't and they'd be kicked out. He had to laugh when she simply asked for one scoop of each, all foolishly piled on the same cone.

"Blackberry with hot fudge and rainbow sprinkles," Tom said to the man behind the counter, completely unabashed at the mere mention of rainbow sprinkles. The moment the cone was in his hand, he raced off towards the back of the parlor, telling Nyx, "I'll find a table!"

She stood there for a moment, looking slightly bewildered before paying the man and carefully following him, making sure not to tilt her towering ice cream in any direction. She looked at Tom just in time to see him grinning from ear-to-ear as he ravenously devoured his ice cream. As soon as he realized she was coming near, he wiped the look off of his face and assumed an air of total indifference.

"Don't try to fool me," Nyx teased. "I saw that heavenly look on your face a second ago. So ice cream is your 'thing,' huh? Didn't you say you _hated_ Muggle food?"

Tom looked slightly guilty that she realized his one true weakness, besides mortality. "…I like it now and then. So what?"

"Well, regardless of your bizarre tastes," she added, smirking wickedly as she adopted a flirty tone. "You certainly have a very _sexy_ way of eating it." She wiggled her eyebrows at him and grinned.

Tom almost dropped the cone in horror and glared at her as his cheeks flushed pink, hissing under his breath, "_**This**_ is why I don't want to take you anywhere… _**Stop staring at me, you depraved freak!**_"

The vampire giggled wildly at his expense, but calmed down so that she could bite into the top scoop of ice cream – banana-flavored – and immediately her eyes became wide in alarm. Her muffled cried of distress, combined with her free hand frantically waving at her mouth, instantly told Tom that she had gotten brain freeze. Assuming that it was retribution for making fun of his secret love of blackberry-ice-cream-with-hot-fudge-and-rainbow-sprinkles, he didn't hesitate to point and laugh at her as the ice cream parlor's other patrons watched with mild curiosity.

Tom finished his ice cream, cone and all, in record time, but Nyx was slow to finish hers after paying the price for taking such a huge bite. After a while, they headed outside into the dreadfully sunny day again and pondered what else they should do. The vampire's keen eyes wandered back to the theater again, and to her obvious pleasure, a different movie was scheduled for the afternoon matinee.

"Look! There's another movie on in half an hour!" she said, shaking Tom excitedly. "We should go see it!"

"Are you sure you can sit through another couple hours? All that sugar seems to have wound you up pretty well… I don't want you to act like an annoying little kid in there, and embarrass me."

"I'll behave if the movie's good! _**Please?**_"

The Prefect looked across the road at the brightly lit entrance and finally sighed, "…I suppose if it looks interesting, I'll put up with one last movie."

"YAY!"

She flew across the street, nervously weaving through the cars and buses like a slalom skier, to Tom's dismay. By the time he was able to cross safely, she was standing next to the box office, leaning against the wall, and shaking badly.

"What's wrong?" he immediately asked, worried that she was going into another blood withdrawal. The last time that happened, she almost went after a mangy stray cat, she was so desperate for blood.

Nyx weakly lifted her head and he saw that she was laughing so hard she was speechless, and crying too. She pointed to the movie poster displayed behind her, showing the film being played at 3 o'clock.

"_The Wizard of Oz_?" Tom read in disbelief. "…We need to see this. I can't wait to see what those Americans have done now. …Maybe we should wait until you can breathe first."

By the time they reemerged from the dark theater, the two Slytherins were in stitches. After exchanging thousands of looks of disbelief and shook their heads in shame constantly, they had silently agreed that it was both the best and worst movie they would ever see in their lives.

"If bad witches and wizards are ugly, we must be saints!" Nyx cackled, almost knocking herself over.

"I hope it doesn't rain, or we'll melt," Tom laughed, glancing nervously up at the clear blue sky.

"Don't worry," she snickered. "You can float away in a magical rainbow bubble before it's too late! HA!"

"Not if someone drops a farmhouse on me first!"

"What a cruel movie… Those Muggles are sick and twisted little buggers! Going around, supporting blatant murder, and just because they think all witches but stupid, nancy-fancy Glinda are pure scum! Absolutely terrible!"

"I know," Tom agreed. "No wonder the Witch hated those Munchkins so much. They're bloody _scary_."

"If we continue your brilliant reenactment idea, which character would _you_ probably be?"

"The Tin Man."

"Why, are you rusty?"

"No. Do I look like I have a heart to you?"

"Not really. But you do have a brain, and you're courageous enough to risk your life for the H-word thing, and you don't want to go home…"

"And I'm also not an incompetent magician who pretends to be a wizard."

"Or a terrier, though it would be cute. I should call you Toto from now on because it actually works with your name. Heehee, Toto!"

"Sure, and I'll call you Whale because you eat like one."

"Touché."

"You'd be the Witch, no question about it. I can easily see you with an army of flying monkeys. Well, not monkeys. Dragons, maybe."

"Of course!" Nyx said with a grin. "It's always been a dream of mine to have my own army, and some domesticated dragons, of my own before I died! …Looks like I'll have a while to complete that task, eh?"

"What do you mean?" Tom asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Automatic immortality, remember?"

"Oh, right," he replied, looking embarrassed. "I know it sounds absurd, but I seem to forget what you really _are_ most of the time. Seeing you behave like a fairly normal human instead of a bloodthirsty, merciless, scary you-know-what has certainly changed my perspective on a few things."

"I hope that means that you're more amused by my oddness than disappointed that I don't live up to my nature, most of the time anyway," Nyx said, grinning. "As you well know, I'm a lot more fun when I'm acting like a human rather than a ruthless predator."

Tom snorted derisively. "If you consider acting like an insane four-year-old and giving me premature gray hair 'fun,' I suppose."

"Lighten up," she said simply. "We still have about two hours of daylight left, but I'll be much more energetic once that stupid sun is out of sight, so we should find something else to do."

"Oh goody."

"I think we should get out of the city for a change. All we ever do is wander around here… I want to see other places! My curiosity must be satisfied!"

"Don't even bother looking at me for approval, then. You're going to do whatever you want regardless of what I say anyway."

Nyx nodded in assent as she skipped off to a newsstand nearby and quickly scoured a map of the London area, and exchanged a few brief sentences with the vendor. By the time Tom slowly trudged over to her, the vampire already knew where she wanted to go, and had memorized the way to get there; as usual, she grabbed him by the arm and nearly dragged him along as she set off.

An hour of walking (and a million complaints from Tom for being a neurotic moron and not simply taking a bus) later and the Slytherin duo had finally made it to the large park Nyx wanted to visit. It wasn't technically outside of the city, but it was the closest thing to "rural" as they were going to reach in one evening.

The Prefect stared at the sight before him, looking like he was going to be sick. "…a carnival?"

"Yeah, the guy selling the papers told me they were having one here, and it sounded fun to me," she replied, beaming at the glittering lights, rich smells and entrancing music radiating from the lively place.

"You don't even know what a carnival is!" he said, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "This place is infested with Muggles and cheap stuffed animals and terrible grease-soaked food, not to mention the inane little games and horrifically unsafe rides that are supposed to amuse people! And the _CLOWNS_! Don't even get me _started_ on the bloody clowns!"

"So you've been to a few of these, have you?" Nyx said, smirking.

"Against my will, yes," Tom snapped. "That idiotic woman at the orphanage thought it would be fun to take all of us to places like these over the past sixteen years of my life, and I've hated it with a passion ever since."

His companion stood there and watched the flickering rainbow of lights on the myriad of booths inside the park gates, feeling inexplicably drawn towards such a strange new event. She felt slightly guilty that she was making Tom unintentionally miserable, but she wasn't a self-sacrificing person by any means, and seeing other people suffer had never really tugged at her heartstrings very strongly.

"Well _**I**_ have never been to one of these things before," she reminded him. "I'd like to at least see what all the fuss is about before I agree that it's a festering pool of worm-ridden filth, as you suggest it is. If nothing else, I'll probably do something unbelievably stupid and you'll have a good laugh at my expense. Again."

Tom stared at her coldly. He was getting very fed up with Nyx's unspoken fascination with Muggles and their remarkably unsubstantial forms of entertainment. Yet, he couldn't quite bring himself to refuse her. The promise of a good laugh and something to criticize mercilessly was just enough to make him reply, "…If you promise that this is the _very last place_ we go today, then I will put up with it. But do not expect me to like it for even one second, because I won't."

Nyx cheered and skipped onward, her head swiveling all around as she took in all of the sensations that bombarded her from every angle. Tom couldn't understand her boundless interest in everything around her, but it was amusing to watch her get all worked up every time she discovered something new. He felt extremely uncomfortable at the carnival, surrounded by the Muggles he loathed, and he frequently found himself wondering how he had gotten into such an irksome situation.

But he soon remembered that it was because of Nyx's concern for him; she was worried that if his Horcrux-induced depression continued, he could suffer permanent damage from it. Because she was so like him, Tom was struck by the fact that she seemed to care about him, and that she was willing to annoy the hell out of him to try to make him feel better. He certainly wouldn't have felt any concern if he was in _**her**_ place. Normally, that fact would have seemed normal and almost praiseworthy to his independent mind, but now it seemed childish and cruel. Tom felt that he did nothing to deserve any kind treatment from her, especially because he wasn't inclined to be kind in return.

As he thought about it more, he rethought his silent statement that he wouldn't have cared if Nyx were in trouble. She had already done so much for him; not caring seemed a bratty and foolish way to behave. Although he had complained a lot before, he now felt slightly guilty for resisting her help. Tom really was feeling much better now that she had forced him to loosen up a bit, and he really was grateful for that. Difficult as it was, given his stubborn egotistical nature, Tom tried very hard to enjoy himself at the carnival anyway and fought back the urge to bitch and moan about everything, as a small token of appreciation towards Nyx.

The sun finally began to dip below the horizon, leaving an almost bloody trail behind it in the reddening sky. It was around that time that Nyx saw the Ferris wheel up close and was overcome with excitement. Tom didn't fight her, for a change, when she pulled him towards it and jumped into the seat; out of all the rides there, the Ferris wheel was the only thing he actually liked a tiny, puny, little bit. He wouldn't admit it, of course, but this was the only one that didn't make him throw up every time he tried to ride it.

Nyx stared around in awe as the machine took them higher up, nibbling on a caramel apple she had just bought herself. Tom seemed to be bored albeit tolerant of the situation, but somewhere within him, he felt a warm, fuzzy feeling as he recalled the first time he had ever gotten onto one of these contraptions. Although it would seem normal for the nearly-adult-Tom, the six-year-old-Tom had felt his first sense of superiority on a Ferris wheel not unlike this one. The ride stopped at the top, and as the little boy looked down at the people below him, he felt a godlike sense of power and intelligence surpassing that of the pitiful little insects beneath him.

The sixteen-year-old felt the same familiar sensation when they were once again stuck at the very top, overlooking all of London just as the city's shining lights began to turn on to ward off the coming darkness of night. When he was a child he didn't understand his feelings, but he did now, and he embraced them more than ever. He glanced at Nyx, who was also peering down at the carnival, and wondered quietly what she was thinking about as she watched the Muggles drift by. Tom couldn't help but wonder if she, too, had ever felt the same way he did.

"Look at those pitiful creatures," she said suddenly, speaking in a soft, gentle voice. "They look like little bugs I could crush under my shoe."

She stuck out her foot and made a stomping motion to illustrate her comment. Tom could only stare at her, stunned that she seemed to be thinking the same things he was.

"Being up here really makes you feel powerful, doesn't it?" she went on, still quiet and deadly. "Normally I don't feel much different from this, being a vampire and all. I could tear every last one of those sad little people apart and sleep like a baby after I had my fill. They aren't worth a damn to me. I wouldn't blink if every last spineless human in this entire filth-ridden city dropped dead on the spot. And why should I? I _**eat**_ them, for heaven's sakes! They're nothing more than meat with eyes! …no offense."

"None taken," Tom murmured, awestruck.

Nyx took a deep breath and looked at him. Her eyes seemed strangely steely, but he felt mesmerized by the absolute confidence and strength in them. Speaking in a straightforward tone, she said, "I think you've misunderstood me in these past few months, Tom. I _**do**_ agree with much of what you believe in, as general philosophy of life and how the world _ought_ to be. Like you, I don't _think_ I'm superior to most people – I _**know**_ I am. And like you, I am not afraid to keep the pecking order of the world intact.

"However, there _**is**_ one thing I disagree with. Muggles are worthless, as a general rule, unless a truly exceptional individual does something extraordinary that makes them valuable. But the same goes for witches and wizards, _and_ half-bloods, as well. A tragic lack of magic cannot be altered, that much is true, but _stupidity_ is worse by far. Stupidity is the root of all evil, and by 'evil' I mean everything that is wrong with the world as it is. I'm not talking about moral values; I'm talking about blatant and simple _incorrectness_.

"It's one thing to have power, knowledge and influence and to use it for purely selfish means, to get whatever you want. It is quite another to have those things and misuse them because you are too stupid to use them effectively, no matter what the intended goal may be. It's also another thing to have the innate talent and drive to achieve greatness, but to be too stupid to go after it and therefore become a failure. Laziness, bad decisions, wastefulness, absence of free thought… All of these and more are all caused by stupidity, whether it has been bred into a person or actively taught to them.

"I want to help you, Tom, as much as I can. I criticize you mercilessly and frequently not because I think your actions are wrong and you should be different than you really are. It's because I don't want to see you give in to the stupidity that, unfortunately, lurks within everyone. It's the easy way out, and the way that damn Cowardly Lion would take.

"You are remarkably talented and skilled for your age, and you're not afraid to use that to your absolute advantage whenever possible. You know what you want, and it seems like you usually get it once you put your mind to it. You're not like those other brainless, moralistic chicken-shits who would question the 'rightness' of using your strengths to aid you in whatever way possible. I don't think either one of us has ever let ethics get in our way when we see something we want, and it's within our reach if we only try to grab it.

"But you _**are**_ still very young in the grand scheme of things, and you lack experience and perspective because of that. It's nothing to blame you for since you can't always choose what happens to you, but that's why I have been trying to give you so much help, whether you asked for it or not. Being able to see things in different lights, besides the light you _**want**_ to see it in, would clearly help you when it comes to, say, diplomacy – ass-kissing, in layman's terms. I'll use that as an example of what I'm talking about.

"You're pretty good at it as you are, but not perfect. Slughorn wasn't much of a challenge in and of himself, so don't get too haughty over that achievement. Not everyone will be so willing to give in to your subtle demands, and not everyone will be willing to listen to you from the start. Having a wide viewpoint will allow you to speak to anyone, anywhere, about anything…and '_convince'_ them agree with you, and thereby you will reach your goals. I know you realize this already, but seeing as you think you're right all the time, I thought I ought to put it into different words so that you would understand it better.

"You have an amazing amount of potential, but you currently lack the tools with which to hone your considerable skills to perfection. I know I seem like a straight-up heartless bitch when I harass you the way I like to, but I can assure you that I don't do it just for fun. I believe that everything has a purpose, somehow, and that is how I base many of my decisions when it comes to you as well as the rest of my life. Every time I call you a shortsighted, arrogant bastard, I'm teaching you how to handle harsh criticism. Every time I tell you you're wrong and explain why, I'm teaching you to listen to advice, consider multiple options and to not be so arrogant that you can't say, "I was wrong."

"…While I'm thinking of the arrogance issue I have with you, I'd like to tell you something I read last weekend about an American president – Teddy Roosevelt, I think his name was. He said something like, "Walk softly and carry a big stick." Personally I think that's the best advice anyone can get, _especially_ someone like you. As I said, you're talented and you have an impressive future in store. But you're not the biggest frog in the pond yet, so quit croaking about how great you are. You have one Horcrux, but until you have all seven, you're still dangerously close to mortality. If anything were to happen to that ring, you'd be back at square one and just as vulnerable as any other human.

"When you can declare with confidence that no one around you can outmatch you, feel free to do as you please. Until then, don't go around showing off your power when someone else can defeat you. Dippet almost defeated you after you let the basilisk loose over and over again. Sure, you got the thrill you wanted, but you almost lost _everything_ when they threatened to shut down the school because of your careless actions.

"I absolutely understand the desire you felt to overpower other people, to spread fear and chaos, and to prove that you were powerful. But if you had just kept a low profile this year and waited until next year to unleash hell upon your enemies, it would have been _flawless_! Closing the school would have had no effect on you since you weren't going to come back, and therefore you would have succeeded in the end. Do you see what I mean?

"I know I seem like a really horrible person when I criticize you like this, but it isn't because I want to make you hate me or feel miserable and worthless. I do it because I know you can handle it, and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, as they say. I want to see you win in the end, and I am willing to do whatever I have to to ensure that, even if it makes you despise me with every cell in your body because of my methods. I mean every word of that."

Tom could only stare at her in wonder. _She isn't totally against me after all…_ he thought. Nyx had completely baffled him yet again; it was as if the curious, fun-loving, childlike ball of energy before him had transformed mysteriously into a mature, brilliant and sinister teacher. Tom felt like a child himself, confronted with fire for the first time. Its heat was frightening yet welcoming, dangerous yet beautiful, powerful yet calm, destructive yet controlled. He longed to reach out and touch it, but he was terrified of being burnt. Instead, he remained hovering close by, like a moth dancing around a candle, mesmerized by the flickering glow.

Nyx had left Tom wondering many things, but there was one nagging question that stood out above the rest, and he had to have it answered right away: "But why would it matter to you whether I succeeded or not?"

She smiled at him enigmatically. "Just as you have a particular interest in Salazar Slytherin, I have a particular interest in you," she replied.

"But why?" he pressed. His voice was surprisingly quiet, and his tone was one of genuinely polite curiosity. "I'm the Heir of Slytherin, so it is logical for me to be interested in him. But… I see no such connection between the two of us. Or are you still hiding something from me?"

The vampire paused to bite into the caramel apple and think carefully about her response. "…there _**is**_ a connection, although it's probably not what you would expect. I'll let you ponder it on your own for now. Maybe you'll figure it out without my help, you being so inconveniently clever and all."

She grinned mischievously, and a cloud blocking the sun drifted away, letting its brilliant red light spill across the city. The sinking star was reflected in their eyes as they gazed at each other intently, with the red light filling their irises hauntingly. Tom's mind and body went completely numb; his senses seemed to have shut down for one endless moment. He barely felt himself leaning towards Nyx – when the ride jerked violently to a start, thrusting him back into reality as his hands nervously gripped the metal safety bar tightly.

The shock had startled Nyx, too, and made her drop the caramel apple. She leaned forward, watching it fall to the muddy grass with a smushy thud.

"_God_ _**dammit**_!" she snarled, frowning deeply. "I wasn't finished with that!"

She slouched deep into the seat and grumbled to herself, morphing back into the childish creature that seemed to be ruled by her emotions and instincts alone. Tom could only stare in a mix of confusion and amusement as Nyx resembled a toddler in time out.

The pair remained at the carnival late into the night until Tom absolutely couldn't keep up with her energy anymore, when they made the long walk back to the orphanage. (Nyx still refused to take a bus, which nearly drove the sixteen-year-old to tears.) Instead of trying to sneak into the orphanage and risk a meeting with Mrs. Cole, the vampire teleported them into Tom's room, bid him good night, and silently walked through the walls into her own room.

Nyx was finally satisfied that his soul was in no danger now that he was in a much better mood. After she had spilled her guts to him, they agreed that things would probably be quite different between them. Being the way they were, it was difficult to know what their intentions really were, and some of those intentions were _still_ kept secret. But now that they had each taken their own steps to be more trusting and trust-worthy, it felt like a wall between them had been lowered.

Although he was exhausted, Tom found it difficult to rest after they returned. After what happened to him on the Ferris wheel, he had been deeply troubled. He had some idea of what he was about to do when he leaned towards Nyx, but he was utterly unable to explain it, to justify it, to apply logic to it. That scared him terribly. The idea of not being able to control his own actions was something out of his worst nightmares, and he certainly hadn't been able to control himself at that point.

Worse still, a peculiar, unnamed desire was beginning to grow in the pit of his stomach, and it seemed to have influenced him to behave so…_strangely_, as he saw it. He didn't understand why this desire was becoming so powerful, or why it existed in the first place. Tom felt helpless to control it as it invaded his thoughts like a disease. But unlike a sickness that had clearly defined causes, symptoms and treatments, this was something beyond his reach. He could not comprehend it no matter how hard he tried.

And despite the fear he felt when he thought about it, like the moth fluttering around the flame, he could not resist the temptation to inch closer and closer, to test that desire, to test himself, and to test the object of that desire.

But Nyx was right when she said that he was naïve because he was still so very young, no matter how powerful or skilled he was, or how much potential he held, or how many grandiose plans he had laid out for his future.

He couldn't have known that to dive headfirst into the fire meant a slow, agonizing death.

She couldn't have known that, for a curious moth, the beauty and warmth of the flames as they consumed him would have made such a death a goal unto itself.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (Including _Gone With The Wind_ and _The Wizard of Oz_, of course.)

**A/N:** That quote is absolutely, positively _**perfect**_! I spazzed when I saw it. The song title is appropriate too – Pink Floyd, yay!

So. My life recently. Took my AP Biology test today. Yay? It was hard but not impossible, which is what I expected. I definitely got a 3, more likely a 4. I don't think I did quite well enough for a 5, but it IS a curved grade, so I might get lucky. Hopefully there were a ton of stupid people taking it, too, and then I'll _**definitely**_ get a 5. Lol. XD I'm somewhat annoyed that I have to wait until July to get my score, but I'll live. Anyone else reading this take AP Biology?

Who here has seen _The Omen_ Trilogy? (Not including the 2006 version or _The Omen 4_ because I haven't seen either one. I'm talking about the originals from the 70's and 80's.) If you haven't seen it, you _really_ should. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Damien and Tom are basically **the exact same goddamn person**. I SEE YOUR THOUGHT PROCESS, JKR, AND I SAY "GOOD ON YA!" Damien is awesome. Is it wrong for me to find the kid in _Omen 2_ strangely attractive? You know, aside from the fact that he's, like, fourteen at the time? D: (I'm not a pedo! I swear!) And, sorry, but the guy that played adult Damien is just fugly. He was very good in the role, but fugly, fugly, fugly. I liked that guy better in _Jurassic Park_. (Another kickass movie. Scared me shitless when I saw it the first time since I was, what, four years old? Good job, babysitter. I couldn't sleep for two weeks. I love it now though, ironically.)

Kudos to my lovely betas, Tiff and Shan.

**General Notes: **"Ohh, so you swing the _**other**_ way!" Hee. X3 Please do tell me if the perverted jokes ever get old. I'm not saying I'll leave them out, but at least I'll know that you're sick of them and they're too much. Personally, considering how much Nyx likes to push people's buttons, and how easily Tom's buttons are pushed, I don't think it'll be a problem. XD

Nyx is like Arthur Weasley except evil, corrupt, and a vampire. They're both absolutely fascinated by Muggles, though Nyx really doesn't like them. She just likes the things they make. Like movies and Oreos. XD

OLD MOVIES FOR THE WIN! XD When I saw that both _Gone With the Wind_ AND _The Wizard of Oz_ would have been available at this time, I fucking geeked out like nobody's business. _Oz_ is absolutely the most ridiculous movie ever, in an extremely entertaining way, but I actually really like _Gone With The Wind_. Oh, and don't even try to argue that Nyx and Tom are not Scarlette and Rhett's reincarnations. They absolutely are. Don't deny it.

ICE CREAM FOR THE _**EPIC** WIN_! LOL! XD Ice cream is officially the funniest food in the world. Instead of making Tom a total yuppie snob and eating something like pistachio ice cream, I decided to go for broke and turn him into a picky little kid who likes once specifically obscure flavor, with hot fudge and MUTHAFUCKIN' RAINBOW SPRINKLES YAY! XDDDD (And all you OKoE people wondered why Nyx could never take him that seriously when he went too hardcore and became Voldemort. HAH. Blackmail, dear readers. Blackmail.)

Nyx monologue is probably one of my favorite parts of Gemini so far. I think it basically sums up most of what she's about, and explains a good bit of her relationship with Tom and everyone else she knows. The chapter would have been shorter than this, but that was before I doubled the size of her monologue when I got a bunch of ideas for other things she should say to him. XD The whole bit on the Ferris wheel basically makes the entire rest of the story happen. (Incidentally, I realize they probably wouldn't have been stopped at the top for that long, but like I said, I doubled Nyx's monologue but I didn't want to lose the rest of it just because she talked too much. Lol.)

The foreshadowing bit at the end was completely spur of the moment and turned out absolutely fuckawesome, IMHO. :D That more or less sums things up without revealing any details, so I'm pleased as pie with it. (Seeing _The Omen 3_ helped me come up with the whole "moth to the flame" thing, too. Heh.)

**Review Responses:** _silvermoon00_: Thanks! Don't worry, I am absolutely, 100 percent determined to finish Gemini. I won't give up like I did with OKoE. :3

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**--** **k**avi - **s**ama **--**


	12. My Friends

**Gemini**

Prologue to The Other Kind of Evil

**Chapter 12. **My Friends

"_What would you think if I sang out of tune?  
Would you stand up and walk out on me?  
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song,  
And I'll try not to sing out of key.__"_

_- _"With A Little Help From My Friends" © The Beatles

The brick wall shifted, opening up in front of Tom as he grinned smugly at Nyx, who had just bet him ten galleons that a moving brick wall was a dumb idea and no one would actually go for it. The vampire handed over the money as she walked beside him, stopping only to stare around at Diagon Alley. She was immediately fascinated with everything she saw, and Tom had to fight hard to prevent her from running off in ten directions at once.

She pulled a thickly stuffed envelope out of her carpetbag purse and rummaged around inside it, looking for one paper in particular. As she pulled it out, she said triumphantly, "Found it!"

"Make sure you don't lose it," Tom warned her. "Your supply list is different than mine because you're new and they wouldn't expect you to have all of the basic things like a standard-size pewter cauldron, and other ridiculously specific things like that." He pulled out his own neatly folded leaf of parchment and compared their lengths; Nyx's was twice as long.

"So, you said they send these out around the same time every year?" Nyx asked, holding up her Hogwarts letters. "Not surprised that they sent my acceptance letter along with your stuff… I'm also not surprised I passed all of those piddly little ability tests they gave me earlier in the summer. You'd have to be a complete _moron_ to fail them."

"It's just more proof that Dippet is an idiot who trusts far too easily," he replied, smirking wickedly as he adjusted the Head Boy badge proudly pinned to his jacket. "If _**I**_ was in his place, I would never have let you in the door. You look rather suspicious, in my opinion."

"Suspicious? _Moi?_" she said incredulously. "Is that any way to talk to the woman who's paying for everything on that list of yours?"

Tom stopped abruptly and glowered at her. "I told you already, I _will **not**_ accept charity, least of all from _you_. I already have enough to get by…especially because I just won quite a bit from your foolish little bet."

"It isn't charity, stupid," Nyx insisted, hitting him on the arm. "I don't believe in charity, and I wouldn't be charitable to an ungrateful snob like you if I did. It's _mutual sharing_. I can't possibly use all of the money I've 'earned' so far, so it'll do me no good if I keep it all to myself. You, on the other hand, may be able to fend for yourself, but I know better than anyone that you are absolutely _dying_ to live like a king for a change. Therefore, if I share some of my extraneous wealth with you, you will be happier, I will be happier, and everything will be shits and giggles."

He looked quite confused, but he finally relented, "…all right, if it will please you."

Nyx happily split her money into two portions, put the smaller one into a pouch, and furtively slipped it into Tom's pocket. If she had made a scene about it, he would have used the Cruciatus Curse on her. Tom _did_ like the idea of getting new books rather than browsing through the second-hand store as usual, but his ego would never allow him to fall to a beggar's level. And as far as he was concerned, anyone who received monetary donations was as good as a beggar no matter what the circumstances.

Now that the money business was settled, the Slytherin duo began traversing the long, crowded street, passing in and out of shops as they slowly checked off the items on their supply lists. Tom's fellow Hogwarts students were everywhere, many who recognized him and gave him a polite greeting. He returned their pleasantries, but Nyx knew without saying that he hated every last one of them. Ever since their ride on the Ferris wheel, they had become closer than they ever imagined. They were finally on the same page, able to understand each other's intentions and thoughts without a single spoken word. Their similarities truly shone whenever they finished each other's sentences or blurted out the same idea at the same time.

Nyx was delighted that the barriers between them were finally starting to disintegrate; having a companion that shared her thoughts was a huge comfort to the medieval vampire, who was becoming overwhelmed by the strange and confusing changes in the world around her. Tom also considered a like-minded being, whether human or not, to be a great asset to him, not only for advancing himself, but for practical reasons as well. He too found an understanding partner like her to be a surprisingly welcome relief from the other less-attuned people in his life.

While they didn't admit to cherishing each other's company, they did agree that they shared one major problem. Nyx and Tom both had huge issues when it came to expressing their true feelings and all that nonsense, which they tried to avoid at all costs. The Slytherins preferred to have many shallow, meaningless relationships to even one deep friendship. The risks involved in baring your heart and soul to another person were just too great. It simply wasn't anyone's business to know their inner workings, in their opinion. Yet they felt astonishingly comfortable around each other, which is why they were able to admit this fault of theirs in the first place.

"Are we almost done?" Tom asked, whining only a little. It had been several hours since they arrived, and his legs and feet were ready to collapse underneath him.

"I think so," Nyx muttered, shifting her heavy load of bags in her arms as she tried to look at her list again. "Do you think I could get these last few things at that other place you told me about? What was it called… Knotty Alley?"

"_Knockturn_ Alley," he corrected her. "We should go there whether you can get those things or not. You'll love it, I'm sure."

He was quite right; the vampire felt right at home in the shadowy, cool street lined with strange, sinister shops. She quickly ignored her annoyingly heavy bags as she meandered through the little stores, peering around curiously at every object. For once, her time-consuming explorations didn't bother Tom. He liked the alley, too, since he felt more comfortable in a less crowded, less cheerful atmosphere.

But they were both still tired of walking around, so Tom began leading her towards a small courtyard at the middle of the narrow street, where a few wrought-iron benches curved around a quietly flowing fountain – featuring a pair of dragons locked in a battle to the death, of course – where they could sit and rest their weary feet. To his surprise, a small group of teenagers was already occupying the space, and he knew exactly who they were.

One of the boys – tall and thin, with pale skin, pointy features and neatly groomed dark blonde hair – noticed Tom standing at a distance and whispered something to his companions. They all hurriedly stood up and turned to greet him with a peculiar air of a gang addressing their leader with the utmost respect. Tom gave them a nod that was considerably pleasanter than the ones he gave his other schoolmates.

Another young man automatically forfeited his own seat on a bench to give Tom room, but he didn't sit down quite yet. He had immediately noticed the questioning and even hostile looks directed at Nyx, who was hovering behind him curiously, and decided to break the ice himself.

Pulling her over, he said, "This is Nyx Harthcrow. She's a transfer student from Durmstrang – yes, of course she's a pureblood, I can't believe you need to ask – but she was born in England, so obviously she can speak English perfectly well. She is here with _me_ because Dippet asked me to make her feel welcome and help her adjust to life at Hogwarts since it is so drastically different from her last school."

Nyx nodded impressively to add to the effect.

"I was asked to do this because Nyx was already sorted into Slytherin – of course – and since I am a Slytherin myself, a Prefect, and now Head Boy to boot –' he displayed the badge clearly, earning many "oohs" and "aahs" of amazement, to his smug satisfaction "- it is only appropriate that I lend her a hand."

Nyx smiled pleasantly at the group and laughed inwardly as they fell for the story. She and Tom spent an entire week fine-tuning the story she told Dippet so that the other Slytherins would find her more appealing, and be more welcoming. Nyx studied everything she could about Durmstrang to make sure that her story would have no holes, and even took the trouble to sneak into the place and get a good feel for it. She took the last name "Harthcrow" because it was her mother's maiden name, and kept her true first name to avoid unnecessary confusion. Nyx took the trouble to explain to Tom that Harthcrow wasn't her real last name, which left him wondering why on earth she refused to reveal the real one.

"Isn't that the school Grindelwald went to?" a different boy asked, looking suddenly enthralled.

"Yes, it was, and…" Tom trailed off, glancing obviously at Nyx, and continuing after receiving a nod of approval. "…Do not spread this around, but her parents were some of Grindelwald's top fighters."

"Seriously?" one of the few girls asked with wide eyes. "Did you ever meet him yourself?"

"No, unfortunately," Nyx replied smoothly. "My parents actually died in the beginning of June, in a battle. One of the worst in the entire campaign, if I remember correctly. I don't blame Grindelwald for their deaths, though. They chose to die for what they believed in, and I respect that far beyond the point of grieving for them excessively. It wasn't safe for me to stay at Durmstrang after that, so Hogwarts offered me a place in the seventh-year-class since I was at the top of my previous class, and I am the right age. Though I must say the bombings in London are rather annoying, this is nothing compared to the front lines in Germany."

Every pair of eyes was glued to her as she spoke with a confident, worldly air fit for a fifty-year-old woman that had survived two wars and visited all seven continents. The students were wary of the newcomer, but they were intrigued by her connection to a Dark Wizard they rather admired. Each one introduced themselves personally, behaving as politely and respectfully as they would have if she were Tom. Besides, he seemed to want the lot of them to help Nyx adjust as well, and they couldn't refuse whether they wanted to or not.

Tom was surprisingly friendly with her, and he didn't seem to be faking it, so they could only assume that she too was a Death Eater.

He and Nyx rested as the young Death Eaters asked her all sorts of questions, which she answered with theatrical flair in order to draw them even deeper into her tale. Tom was very amused that they both possessed considerable acting talents that they used quite effectively. After a while, he asked Nyx to come with him so that he could show her where to buy the last of her supplies. They ended up in a store close to the courtyard, and Tom stood near the front window so that they could still see his Death Eaters clearly.

"I wasn't expecting to see _them_ here, but I can't say I'm surprised. This street _**is**_ infamous for its connection to the Dark Arts, after all," he said, smirking. "All of them are in Slytherin, most are seventh-years, all of them are from aristocratic pureblood families, and most are very, _very, **very**_ rich. I'm talking about _the_ richest Wizarding families in all of _**Europe**_."

"Wow," Nyx muttered, glancing out at the unassuming band of teens.

"They introduced themselves, but I thought I ought to give you a few warnings, just in case," Tom said. "Some of them are a bit… out there. I'm sure it's nothing you can't handle, but I wouldn't want to leave you totally unprepared. If you keep hanging on me the way you have been, you're bound to spend a lot of time with them."

He went on to point out each teenager by name, giving her a concise description of their personality and throwing in any quirks, faults or blatant weirdness they possessed. Most seemed pretty easy to handle, aside from bad tempers and poor hygiene (something Tom had been trying to root out of his little group with scant success thanks to a goon-like pair known as Crabbe and Goyle), except for one girl in particular.

"Do you remember what I told you about that set of green robes I gave you when you were still in the Room of Requirement?"

"Vaguely. Why?" Nyx asked.

"They belonged to Estelle Toussaint. She's practically the same dimensions you are, which is why her clothes fit you so well," he explained, staring out the window at his minions.

"Is she the blonde one with the Muggle haircut, hanging off of Abraxas Malfoy's arm like a monkey on a tree branch?" She was referring to the girl's jaw-length, pin-curled bob, a popular style Nyx found appallingly hideous.

Tom nodded. "Don't let your guard down around her. From what I've heard, she's the biggest backstabbing bitch in the entire school. I also happen to know that she's the biggest whore, too. She seems to prefer Malfoy for some reason, so I expect them to stay together. Estelle might have some well-hidden mental problems, so I wouldn't start any trouble with her if I could avoid it.

"Yes, you _could_ just kill her to make her leave you alone, but that wouldn't go over very well with her family. Her grandfather happens to be a member of the Wizengamot, and her mother is the heiress to the largest Wizarding fashion company in Europe. Needless to say, they have a lot of power and money and they could make your life very unpleasant if you made enemies with their only spoiled brat of a daughter."

"If she's such a pain in the ass, why do you keep her around?" Nyx asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tom sighed, "Without these people, flawed and irritating as they are, I can do very little. They are more like gophers than friends, and they are unfortunately necessary if I plan to get what I want. But I'm sure you already know that I neither need nor want _real_ friends, and especially not friends like those blithering idiots who aren't worthy to lick my shoes."

The vampire grinned and asked coyly, "So if they are little more than cronies to you, what rank would _**I**_ have if I were in this little club of yours?"

"You are _already_ in the club," he replied, smirking. "And you are the closest thing to an equal I would ever tolerate."

Nyx laughed and clapped her hands. "I'm very pleased that we think so highly of each other! It stands to reason that we agree about people like those gophers of yours, who are clearly dumb and servile by default. It may not be their fault that they're lowly, but that won't make us treat them any better than they deserve, right?"

"Right," he chuckled. "Now go find whatever you still need to buy. They're going to think we got lost, and that will give them something to talk about, which is bad. As you will soon learn, it's best when they all keep their mouths firmly shut. You wouldn't _believe_ the verbal diarrhea some of them spit out…"

After making her final purchases, Nyx exited the shop with Tom following close behind. As they approached the gloomy courtyard, a tall, brown-haired boy immediately stood and began talking to Tom. The vampire tried to listen in on their conversation, because the boy seemed to have something very urgent to say, but a pale blonde head popped up in front of her and obscured her view.

"Well, Nyx, I see you have all of your boring school things now," Estelle said, smiling girlishly at her. Her voice was flowing and elegant, but it left Nyx's ears feeling like they had been violated with a cheese grater. "How about I take you on a little fashion spree? You know, female bonding and all that? I know _just_ the place for you to get some really fabulous robes. You want to look fantastic when you're not in your uniform, don't you? Of _course_ you do!"

She began to pull Nyx away from the group with such a firm determination that even the vampire had to be impressed. Tom noticed this out of the corner of his eye, but they were already too far away for him to follow, and the idiot in front of him would not shut up about how he got caught practicing the Imperius Curse on a duck and almost got arrested for it. Estelle's purposeful strides in her pointy, high-heeled black shoes quickly brought Nyx to a side street off of Knockturn Alley.

"Though, of course, I would _really_ like to take you to one of my mother's stores – she's set up to own _Modes Ensorcelantes_ when my grandparents die – and you obviously know that our company is _the_ leader in Witch fashion," the girl prattled. "Unfortunately we don't have any shops around here, but when we have time some day, I'd just love to take you there. I know you'd simply adore custom-designed robes, done personally by my mother. She's the head designer, though I'm sure you've heard of her. "

"No, actually, I haven't," Nyx said suddenly. Her patience for the superficial snob had already run dry.

Estelle stopped and stared at her in shock, apparently extremely offended at Nyx's blunt ignorance. Her deep blue eyes were wide as she hissed, "You have _never_ heard of _**the**_ Armelle Toussaint?"

The vampire shook her head slowly, staring back at her and wondering how Tom could possibly put up with this nonsense.

Estelle was clearly badly shaken, but she brushed it off and continued walking on with her high, elegant steps, careful not to trip over her long, luxurious royal blue robes. They soon came to a very nearly deserted part of the area, to Nyx's confusion. Just as she was about to ask where the clothing store was supposed to be, Estelle rounded on her, her jaw set stiffly and her eyes glaring cruelly at her. Nyx immediately knew to prepare for the condescending tone that followed.

"As you can tell, I couldn't care less where you buy your clothes or how terrible you will look in them," she said haughtily, sneering so that her dainty little nose wrinkled grotesquely. "I took you aside because there is something I have made it my job to tell all of the new girls in our group. The Dark Lord is too busy with more important things to say this, and I'm the only one who can do it right anyway."

"Oy, hold on a second!" the black-haired woman interrupted, wearing an indescribable expression. "Who the hell is 'the Dark Lord'?"

Estelle puffed herself up, clearly indignant as she snapped, "The one you arrived with, you absolute _fool_! Do not ever speak so disrespectfully of our Lord ever again! He would kill you for such an act of insolence!"

Nyx doubled over, laughing, to Estelle's fury. No matter what she threatened to do to her, the vampire couldn't help herself. Placing the title "Dark Lord" over the image of Tom licking an ice cream cone with relish was just too much. She almost fell over when she recalled his reaction to seeing her half-naked. The Tom _she_ knew was no Dark Lord. Deeply messed up and inclined to sinister behavior, yes, but not a Dark Lord by any means.

Once Nyx finally got a hold of herself, Estelle continued, more upset than ever. "From your clear lack of respect for the Dark Lord (Nyx sniggered), I can see that this warning will serve you well. Do not think for even a moment that you could _ever_ become involved with him in any way! He is strictly off-limits! Do you understand that?"

"What, you mean I can't be friends with his ass? It's rather cute, if you haven't noticed," Nyx replied, pretending to be utterly disappointed.

Taking the bait, Estelle went on, "Absolutely not! The Dark Lord loves no one but _**me**_! Why would he want a stupid tramp like you when he already has someone who understands him and serves him unquestioningly?"

"What about Abraxas Malfoy? Tom told me you two were together."

"_You will refer to him as **the Dark Lord**, you brainless hussy!_" Estelle shrieked. "Abraxas means nothing to me! He adores me like every other sane man at Hogwarts, including my Lord! My heart belongs to him and him only, as his belongs to me and no one else! But he cannot risk being seen in public with me because he does not with to start any fights. He and I are the most desirable people at that school, and we would settle for no less than each other. And for your information, since you seem to know _nothing_ about him, everyone knows what a privilege it is to be in my Lord's good graces, let alone his lover, as I am."

"So do you charge by the hour or what?"

"W-_**what**_?"

Nyx folded her arms and looked Estelle over critically. "Well, I was under the impression that you and he were in love, but you seem more like his favorite prostitute to me. _**If**_ you're even telling the truth, that is."

The blonde spluttered furiously as her face began to turn a blotchy red.

"And, come to think of it," Nyx added thoughtfully. "If you really _were_ Tom's whore or girlfriend or whatever, you wouldn't need to put so much effort into telling me to keep my hands to myself, would you? After all, he _**has**_ been very honest with me about you so far, and I know he would have mentioned it if you were romantically or even sexually involved with him."

Estelle pulled out her wand as she screamed, "_I ought to cut off your arms for insulting me like this! When the Dark Lord hears of your disrespect both towards him and myself, he will certainly allow me to do the honors of torturing you until you breathe your last!_"

"Curse me if you like, but whatever you do, don't touch me," Nyx replied flippantly. "I don't want to catch whatever you might have gotten from all those guys you already fucked. I hope you don't have gonorrhea or anything…" She wrinkled her nose and took a few steps back, giving the other girl's crotch a frightened look.

Estelle was so startled that she dropped her wand as her face went blank and continued turning red with her anger.

"Oh, look at the time! I'd love to stay and exchange funny stories with you, but I really must be off now. Tom and I will probably be going out for dinner shortly, and he gets rather cranky when he has to wait too long for his food," the vampire said cheerily as she turned to leave. "Cheerio, luv!"

Nyx skipped away down the main alley, whistling "If I Only Had a Brain" as she heard Estelle screeching furiously. A few loud bangs and crashes followed, telling Nyx that she still knew how to rile a person up past their boiling point. She slowed to a calm stride as she approached the courtyard again.

Tom stood as she came into view. "Where have _you_ been?" he asked quietly, looking concerned and irritated at the same time.

"Estelle wanted to take me shopping, but it looks like her favorite store is gone," she replied, smirking. "She's pretty upset about it."

Tom gave her an odd look and understood that something bad had happened behind his back. He didn't want to discuss it in front of the other Death Eaters, so he made up an excuse for he and Nyx to leave. After giving their respectful goodbyes, the group lingered around the dueling-dragons fountain as the pair headed back towards Muggle London.

Once they were well out of earshot, Tom asked abruptly, "What the hell did you do to her?" His tone was accusatory, but she detected a hint of understanding too.

"_**I**_ didn't do _anything_," Nyx replied firmly. "That girl is impossible to tolerate. May I eat her?"

"No, you can't, even though I might reconsider in the future. Remember what I said about her family ties and just try to control yourself," he answered, sighing. "What did she do this time?"

"For one thing, she has her head stuck well up her own ass – not unlike you once did – and she seems to think I'm scum. More importantly, she claims to be your lover."

"My _**what?**_"

"I think she _meant_ to say 'girlfriend,' but it came out more like 'cheap hooker.' Sounds like you've been busy, eh, Tommy boy? …Or should I call you 'the Dark Lord'?" She snickered again.

Tom groaned audibly and said, "Damn that self-absorbed idiot! She's been lusting after me for _**years**_! Where the hell does _she_ get off on telling people that she's my lover?"

"I knew you had the sense to stay away from a soulless bimbo like her," Nyx chucked, patting him on the back reassuringly. "But just because you don't like her doesn't mean you couldn't have slept with her."

"I didn't," he said flatly, looking a bit sick. "And I'm not ashamed to say that I've turned down every single one of her countless offers to screw me or do god knows what else. I'm surprised you two perverts didn't get along better…"

"Really? You don't seem like the type to pass up a good offer when it's presented to you," Nyx replied, smirking.

Turning to her and looking totally appalled, he answered in a low voice, "Didn't you hear what I said about Estelle being the Whore of Hogwarts? I'm probably the only sexually developed male in _the entire school_ she hasn't gotten to yet. I don't need any STD's, thank you _very_ much. Besides, I have no interest in a girl who has no self-respect and nothing to offer me besides a good time. And I don't go for blondes either."

The vampire laughed. "You might have a hard time finding someone to match your undoubtedly high standards. Good thing you're not terribly desperate."

"Those standards will make sure that the only woman I get involved with – if _any_ – will be someone I can truly love, care for and respect," he replied simply. "Anything less than that isn't worth my time. I see no real value in a 'fling.'"

Nyx was quiet for a few moments. They passed through the moving brick wall again and entered The Leaky Cauldron through the back door. As soon as the bottomless pit smelled food, she groaned, "I'm so _hungry_!"

"I'd really prefer to _not_ eat here," Tom said stiffly.

"Well, I have the money, and I intend to pay with it, so _there_."

And with that, it was settled. The barman, ironically also named Tom, pointed them to an empty table in one of the darker corners of the pub, and soon they had their dinner.

Nyx remained unusually quiet throughout the meal. She was lost in thought due to Tom's final comment on what kind of girl he was looking for. Until now, the vampire thought that he seemed quite shallow and selfish in his desires, but now she realized that he did have slightly better intentions than that. He was still arrogant and cared more about himself than anyone else, but his intentions were in the right place, and he had obviously put enough consideration into the matter to know what he wanted.

He, like Nyx herself, clearly wanted a relationship that was meaningful and worthwhile. Though they were equally determined to get what they wanted, they both recognized the challenges that faced them due to their narrow preferences.

Nyx had been hoping for the same relationship for her entire life, though the thought hadn't even come up since Tom found her in the stone coffin. She _had_ been in a relationship like that before, but it had been tragically terminated by her fiancé's death. Nyx did not intend to replace him by any means; no one could measure up to him, in her opinion. But she did miss the close company, the companionship, and of course the sex, but she was in no hurry to find someone new.

Still, she never stopped considering Tom as a potential interest. The mutual attraction between them was thick enough to pour over pancakes, but it was that of two powerful allies who knew that they could only succeed through cooperation. They hadn't even gotten to the level of "friends" yet, though Nyx was perfectly willing to take that step.

Beyond that, she was unsure how she felt about him. Logically it made sense to confine the relationship to "an alliance between good friends," because it was safe and it would almost certainly work. But she was curious to see what would happen if she allowed her feelings to grow freely into whatever they became. This was yet another case of Nyx's dual nature working against her to make her even more confused about herself and everything that went on in her head.

Tom, however, was hard to read, even now that they had become so much closer. If she took a premature step in the wrong direction, it could drive him away from her permanently, or so she had convinced herself. She knew that she occasionally skated on thin ice with him, especially when it came to her many personality quirks, including her bad habit of pressing people's buttons just for the fun of it. If she upset him too much, he might give up on her completely and refuse to have anything to do with her. Whether she was his friend or his lover, she didn't want to lose him when she knew they could accomplish so much together.

Nyx listened to the silence in her own mind and was suddenly hit with the realization that Hemera's voice had been missing for a very long time. An immediate, overwhelming sense of loneliness and vulnerability followed. Nyx realized that, without Hemera, she had no one to go to for advice, comfort or simple company besides the brilliant, handsome young half-blood sitting across the table from her.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not.

**A/N:** Ah, another chapter I enjoyed writing quite a bit. Estelle is such a little bitch. I hope you all found it easy to hate her and her delusions of grandeur. That means I did my job. Hooray. (That's about it again. Lol. I hate how I'm so un-talkative lately! I wish I could still write all that nonsense in the A/N like I used to… Oh well.)

Kudos to my lovely betas, Tiff and Shan.

**General Notes: **The title and lyrics went perfectly once again. -dances- "My Friends" actually refers to the song from Sweeney Todd, but the lyrics didn't exactly fit. Then again, there's always a reason to throw in some Beatles. :D

"_Modes Ensorcelantes_" means "Bewitching Fashions" in French. Clever, I know. You must be stunned.

My but doesn't Nyx just _**love**_ to push people's buttons! XD I think it's probably her strongest "learned" weapon. By virtue of being a brilliant person, and a vampire, she's smart and super powerful, but learning how to exploit people's weak points like that takes _practice_. It's worth it, though. (Shannon knows what I mean. K-Hat has issues with Pierre and Krista's forbidden romance! Oh teh noeses!)

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**--** **k**avi - **s**ama **--**


	13. The Mark Has Been Made

**Gemini**

Prologue to The Other Kind of Evil

**Chapter 13. **The Mark Has Been Made

"_Help me understand why  
You've given in to all these  
Reckless dark desires._

_Disconnect and self-destruct, one bullet at a time.  
What's your hurry? Everyone will have his day to die.__"_

_- _"The Outsider" © A Perfect Circle

The countryside rolled by as Nyx stared out the train window. It was just the beginning of September, and already some of the trees were changing color from an earthy green to a warm amber. She shifted uncomfortably in the seat, wishing she could stretch her legs out onto the seat across from her, but there was a body there, and it's name was Avery.

Or was it Lestrange? Nyx didn't remember or care. One of them was sitting across from her, and the other was beside him. Abraxas Malfoy was on the other end, next to the door of their little cabin on the Hogwarts Express. Estelle was across from Abraxas and Tom was situated in between the two girls. (The other guys were quite jealous.)

Nyx was in a rather testy mood because Tom insisted upon bringing his favorite "gophers" into the compartment, after winning the battle to force her onto the "big scary train" in the first place. Ever since her ordeal in the stone coffin, Nyx had become extremely claustrophobic, even in the roomy cabin. Just one person less would have made her feel better, and she would have been pleased as pie if Estelle was the one to leave. Few people had tried the vampire's patience the way that brat did. Even Tom was starting to reconsider his warning that eating her would be _worse_ than letting her live. Estelle apparently viewed Nyx as a threat, and this made the blonde's normally unpleasant behavior triple in unpleasantness.

Nyx pulled her legs up in a very un-ladylike fashion and retrieved a book, a sheet of parchment and an expensive Endless Ink Quill (Tom was jealous but she wouldn't buy one for him because he called her "fat" one too many times) out of her new school bag. Resting the book on her knees, she began doodling on the parchment on top of it, quietly humming "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" to herself. Tom shot her a clearly threatening look because he absolutely _loathed_ that song.

Nyx simply beamed and showed him her comically bad drawings of the two of them dressed up as different Wizard of Oz characters prancing through a red field of poppies. He almost laughed, but quickly stopped himself. Laughing in front of his Death Eaters was only allowed if he was laughing at someone else's misfortune – schadenfreude, as he liked to refer to it.

The Death Eaters found themselves becoming more and more confused by the new girl's strange antics as the train ride wore on. Tom had gotten out a book and started reading to help him ignore the ill-behaved vampire beside him…until she started reading over his shoulder.

"I bet ten sickles the guy with the extra ribcage dies," she said conversationally.

"This is the chapter called "Spells That Cause Fatal Bodily Deformations,"" Tom replied flatly.

"I win, then."

Then she used her wand to write notes to Tom on his arm.

Looking at her handiwork ("It's crowded in here," "Your hair smells like sunshine," and "I wish I had a baby basilisk for a pet because they are just too goddamn adorable."), he asked, "Are you five years old?"

"If you carry the two and multiply by pi, then yes, I suppose I am."

"…that made _no_ sense at all."

"Precisely." She smiled as she blew bubbles from the tip and popped them with her fingernails.

Tom shook his head and muttered, "I can't believe your wand hasn't been confiscated. Clearly you have no idea how to handle it properly."

"That's what you think," she laughed. "I know how to handle a wand better than _you_, I'm sure." She wiggled her eyebrows and Tom decided to change the subject. He didn't need her to start getting perverted around other people, too.

"What are you drawing now?" he asked. Part of him didn't want to know, but the other part wanted to keep her occupied before she decided to do something worse.

"Boobs," she replied.

Tom immediately regretted opening his mouth.

"Are you a lesbian or something?" Estelle asked suddenly, looking horrified as her dainty nose wrinkled in disgust.

Nyx stared at her, raising an eyebrow. "…Are you hitting on me?"

The blonde blanched and stared at the floor as her face turned red, muttering an almost unbroken stream of curses against her.

"Hey, can we see that drawing you're working on?" Lestrange asked Nyx. "We're patrons of the arts, you know." Avery nodded enthusiastically.

Tom closed his eyes, counted to ten, and stood up. "I ought to go get my Head Boy duties over with," he said stiffly as he strode out.

The vampire immediately leapt out of her seat and dashed after him – until they all heard Tom sigh, "No, Nyx, you cannot come with me. Because _you_ are not Head Girl, and they are not going to put up with you like I do. Go get some candy or something. Don't kill anything while I'm gone. And don't set anything on fire, either. Oh, and don't rob, torture or molest anyone. …On second thought, don't do _**anything**_."

The Death Eaters watched her turn around and run off in the opposite direction, looking for the snack cart and ignoring Tom's final warnings completely. They took the rare opportunity to have a hushed conversation beyond their master's ears.

"She is such a little _freak_!" Estelle hissed furiously. "I _hate_ her!"

"I kinda like her," Lestrange said, examining Nyx's latest anatomically correct doodle with admiration. "She's fun. We could use someone lively like her to make things more interesting, eh?"

"Clearly _**he**_ doesn't think so," Abraxas added, nodding in the direction Tom walked off in. "But she seems like she would get on _**anyone's**_ nerves pretty quickly."

"But did you see how he was acting just now?" Avery whispered gravely. "I expected him to curse her into next month any second, but… He just sat there and _took it_! I don't understand why he didn't make her shut up or stop bothering him or anything…"

"She must be one of us, otherwise there's no logical explanation for it," Lestrange said simply, placing the naughty drawing back on Nyx's empty seat. "I think she must have some hidden talents or something. He wouldn't be so tolerant unless she was valuable to him, right?"

"Maybe he wants her to have his kids because she has good genes. It makes sense to _**me**_," Abraxas suggested, before adding quickly, "Not that _**I**_ think her genes are great, I'm just saying the idea makes sense. I wouldn't want _my_ kids to be that obnoxious, but… It's still a good idea…"

Estelle immediately jumped back into the discussion, fuming. "The Dark Lord would never be foolish enough to choose a bipolar reject like _her_ to mother his children. There must be something horribly wrong with her, which would explain why she's so bloody bizarre. Our Lord is probably just feeding into his stellar reputation by taking her in like this. I do not think she could have any _**real**_ value in his eyes."

The other Death Eaters considered her opinion, but were forced to leave it open for debate when Nyx trotted back in, carrying an armful of candy and about twenty blood pops. They were rather alarmed at this, not because they suspected "vampire," but because she simply seemed to be a total nutcase for choosing the strangest candy available.

Within two weeks, the Death Eaters had become accustomed to the new girl's unpredictable and often questionable antics. Nyx herself had also adjusted to her new "friends," as well as school life in general. Tom helped her smooth the transition by introducing her to all of their teachers since they attended the exact same classes. He explained the Headmaster's request to each professor to justify the fact that he was with her almost 24/7. He didn't want them to think he was stalking her. Frankly, he thought Nyx would have been more likely to stalk _him _just to see how annoyed he would get.

Nyx already knew all of the teachers after sitting in on Tom's classes last year, but she found it easy to pretend that she didn't. Not only was she pretending to be totally new to the Hogwarts experience, but she was also taking Tom's advice by putting up the façade of a "bright, respectable, dedicated and unique student." The sixteen-year-old had mountains of proof that it had worked for him all these years, so it would logically make Nyx an instantly well-liked student, too. And because the vampire was even better at acting than her companion, every single one of her professors was easily convinced that she was a wonderful addition to the school.

Except Dumbledore, of course. He had been suspicious of Tom ever since he first met him six years ago. Nyx shared some uncanny similarities with him, and most of them gave the Transfiguration teacher bad premonitions. He had been the only staff member against the admission of a new student in the final year of school. Something seemed wrong with her story, tragic and moving as it was, and something about the girl herself made him uncomfortable. But out of every other adult at the school, he was the only one who wasn't convinced that Nyx and Tom were two little angels, sadly given a bad reputation because of their House.

Slughorn was, predictably, the total opposite. He had fallen in love with Nyx as quickly as he did Tom, inducting her into his Slug Club within the first week of his Advanced Invitational Potions class, which was a result of her excellent performance on the preliminary potions test she took over the summer. The class was only offered to those students who were brilliant, dedicated and members of the Slug Club. Out of the ten students in the class, six wanted to go into potions-related careers because they found it interesting or they were good at it, two were hard-working Ravenclaws who wanted to know everything about everything, and Nyx and Tom were simply too bloody smart to settle for the regular-level class.

Slughorn was also pleased that his all-time favorite student, Tom, was so closely connected to his new favorite student, Nyx. He pulled the seventh-year aside after class one day and told him, "I can't tell you how relieved I am that Miss Harthcrow was entrusted to you. You're well suited for it, m'boy, being Head Boy and all. Wonderful reflection on your character, I should think. You're responsible, you've got an excellent head on your shoulders, and you clearly know how to treat a young lady with respect and politeness. Perhaps your abilities as a leader could make that Minister of Magic position happen a bit sooner, eh?" The portly man winked almost mischievously and laughed.

Tom could only nod in silent agreement, trying not to roll his eyes as he thought, "_Yeah, Minster of Magic, that's right. Whatever you say, person who has **no idea** what I'm really like_."

Nyx quickly got a better idea of his true nature as she observed their fellow Housemates. Every single Slytherin seemed to look up to Tom like he was the local monarch. It didn't really surprise her, but it made her wonder if they all knew that he was the Heir of Slytherin himself. After seeing that the modern-day Slytherins weren't the sharpest tools in the shed, she knew for sure that Tom would never trust them with such classified information.

Those "gophers" of his would logically need to know why Tom was the unofficial ruler of the House, however. Out of everyone, they seemed to be the only ones brave enough (or perhaps allowed) to be even vaguely close to him. The younger students, and even many of his fellow seventh-years, seemed very intimidated by him, whether it was because of his flawless grades, astonishingly powerful personality, or simply his unsurpassed good looks. Some even _feared_ him; Nyx noticed that these individuals had a tendency to leave the room when Tom entered, and scurry around him like frightened kittens whenever they needed to go past him to escape his company. Being something of an animal herself, Nyx could smell their fear as well as see it.

The vampire understood that they had plenty of reasons to admire, respect and fear the young man, but she was still puzzled by the very existence of his "gophers."

"Can you explain this whole "Dark Lord" business to me?" she asked one day as they relaxed in the common room. Nyx was curled up in a dark green leather armchair next to Tom, who had stretched his long legs out on one of the black leather couches. "You didn't really elaborate on it when I met those gophers of yours, and I can't seem to figure it out. How does a sixteen-year-old half-blood orphan get minions _**and**_ a lofty title before he even enters his seventh year?"

Tom was obviously taken aback by her out-of-the-blue request. Just a moment ago, they had been discussing all the reasons why Quidditch was a waste of time. He never really _thought_ about explaining all of that to her, especially not in the common room on a homework-free evening. He didn't want to refuse her entirely because she had every reason to be curious, but he still felt apprehensive. Tom couldn't shake the feeling that Nyx couldn't ever be fully trusted, and it made him fear betrayal if she knew all the details.

And then it struck him that Nyx already knew some extraordinarily sensitive information about him. After all, she _had_ just pointed out the fact that he was a half-blood orphan, a fact he kept secret from everyone else. More importantly, she was the one who made his first Horcrux possible; she knew the importance of the ring and how to destroy the part of his soul inside it if she ever "switched sides." Compared to his plans for world domination, her current knowledge was far more dangerous if the vampire ever decided to make his life a living hell.

Tom furtively pulled his wand out of his pocket and cast a silencing charm over their corner of the common room. A few other Slytherins were sitting around, talking quietly and working on their assignments. Although they seemed not to notice the pair in the corner, he would take no chances of being overheard.

"Everything to do with those "gophers," as you love to call them, revolves around my future career plans as supreme ruler of the world," he said.

"Ah, yes, I had a feeling you would say that," Nyx muttered, smirking.

"Basically, I intend to conquer every last nation on the planet, one by one, until I am the absolute ruler," Tom continued, smiling coldly. "I keep a close eye on both Wizarding and Muggle politics so I will know where to make my first move when the time comes. I see this as a sort of large-scale test of my abilities, and as a game of strategy. It's quite fun, really.

"That's the main goal, but I have another one that's almost as important," he continued, folding his hands in his lap rather serenely. "You and I both know how much I hate Muggles, regardless of my lamentable relation to them. I think the world would be well rid of most of the useless creatures, and the ones that are left should be serving the ones who can use magic – preferably the purebloods since they're automatically superior. They _naturally_ inherit magical abilities, after all.

"But I haven't forgotten what you said to me over the summer. I've broadened the spectrum, so to speak, to include the stupid people, as you suggested. I have some ideas for a few methods I could use to determine each person's value, including their intelligence. That would determine whether they live or die, and what purpose they will serve if they _do_ live. Naturally I'd be more lenient with those who can use magic because they're far more useful, and I still think that Muggles in general aren't worth what a pig could spit."

"How very efficient," Nyx said admiringly, grinning to herself.

"I try," he replied smoothly. "But no matter how wonderful my plans are, I obviously can't do this all by myself. Those "gophers" are the first generation of what I hope will become a sort of super-army of people who think the way I do, and obey me without question. All witches and wizards, of course, specially trained to be ruthless and unstoppably powerful."

"What if there was a Muggle that could develop and build a special weapon for you? A weapon that could wipe out everyone that opposed you, and make everyone so afraid of you that they'd follow you just to protect themselves?" she asked. "Muggles are obviously weaker than us because they lack magic, but their weapons are quite formidable. Would you "hire" one of them for that reason?"

Tom paused to consider it. "I think it would depend on the situation. If I actually _**needed**_ a weapon like that, then I suppose I could make an exception…_unless_ someone else could match it without using Muggle technology. I'd prefer to keep my organization Muggle-free at any cost. I'd have them waiting on me hand and foot, but I wouldn't trust them to fight for me, let alone have any bigger responsibilities."

The vampire gazed at him, taking in everything he had said as the wheels of her mind began to turn rapidly. "So what would this party of yours be called, anyway?"

"I don't think an official name would be necessary. I'd rather have the world fear _my_ name than the name of a faceless organization," he replied with a sadistic glint in his eyes. "Fear of a person is often more intense than fear of a group of people. Usually the boss doesn't do any of the dirty work himself, so he's rarely seen, which only adds to the fear. Appearing as enigmatic as possible has a lot of appeal."

"That's all well and good, but Tom Riddle isn't a particularly threatening name, you know," Nyx said, laughing a little. ""Grindelwald" just sounds creepy as it is, regardless of his reputation. Yours is kind of…cute. Well, compared to "Grindelwald," anyway."

"Don't _**ever**_ call me "cute" again, in _**any**_ context," Tom growled, glowering at her as his face flushed for a split second. "I already know my legal name isn't very impressive. That's why I decided to give myself a new one."

After reaching into his bag, he wrote out his full name on a piece of parchment and passed his wand over the wet ink. Nyx watched curiously as the letters re-arranged themselves and "Tom Marvolo Riddle" became "i aM loRd voldemorT." Tom watched carefully for her reaction to his intimidating title, and was shocked when she fell off her chair, cackling.

"…that…that's too _funny_…" she gasped between bursts of laughter.

He cleared his throat in an attempt to retain some of his dignity and said stiffly, "It's your problem if you find _everything_ amusing, but you could really learn to be more discreet about it." He was very peeved that she was essentially laughing at him to his face.

"I'm fluent in French, Tom," she said as her giggling subsided. "And "Voldemort" is a silly, silly name. I mean, think about it! "Flee from death"? That wouldn't inspire one iota of fear in _anyone_!"

"I didn't pick it because I liked the meaning, you simpleton," he snapped. "It works with the letters of my name, and I thought it was logical to make a new name out of my old one, so there you are. And besides, who's going to know what it _really_ means?"

"The French."

"Fuck the French."

"And the Canadians."

"Well, fuck the Canadians, too."

"…come to think of it, there are an awful lot of African and island countries that were colonized by the French, so don't forget them."

"Fuck the lot of them, and you as well. If you think it's so terrible, why don't _**you**_ come up with something better, you irritating leech?"

Nyx snickered. "No, you keep the one you made yourself. If you like it so much, who am _I_ to tell you to change it? Just don't expect me to call you by it. I'll laugh too much."

Tom was too angry to respond. It was one thing for her to dislike the name he chose, but to be so bloody rude about it was just too much. He thought it was especially low of her to refuse to call him "Voldemort." Whether she hated the name or not, she should have at least respected his wishes and called him by it anyway, he thought. He was horribly embarrassed after "Voldemort" didn't impress her one bit, and seeing her laugh at it just made him feel worse. Nyx certainly had a way of bursting one's bubble with remarkably little effort.

"Well, aside from the issues I have with your new name," she said, continuing the conversation after a long, awkward pause. "I think your plans sound fantastic. As always, I'm pleased to see that you're treating this as seriously and professionally as you should be. Clearly you're the type who puts a ton of effort and thought into his plans to make sure that they go off smoothly. To be honest, that's very good for you because I don't think you'd do well at all in a crisis. You'd have plenty of backup plans and such, I'm sure, but if you truly had to made a big decision on the spot, you'd be totally screwed.

"But I digress. I'd love to hear those ideas you have for weeding out the unworthy and worthless people in the world. That sounds like something we could have a lovely time discussing. I'm sure I could offer you some good advice as well, whether you ask for it or not." She smirked. "Incidentally, since I _do_ agree with your general philosophy, I'd like you to know that if you need any of my more '_specialized'_ assistance, all you need to do is ask nicely and I'll do whatever I can."

Tom looked at her intently. "By 'specialized' assistance, you mean…?"

"Biting, maiming, dismemberment… All the fun stuff," she replied, grinning toothily. "Whatever the humans won't do, I will. And if you ever have any prisoners you need killed, give them to me so their blood doesn't go to waste. There may be billions of people on the planet, but it's a damn shame to see any amount of perfectly good AB positive go down the drain."

"I have a better idea," he suggested, seeming very pleased that their alliance was finally starting to take shape. "_I'll_ make sure the undesirables die, and then I'll save _**all**_ of their blood for you and your brethren to drink at your leisure. We'll set up a Blood Bank. Free blood for those that support me, or something like that."

Nyx laughed, "Brilliant! You're catching on quickly to this whole "diplomacy" thing I told you about. Sharing your spoils with the vampires would make them like you much more quickly. But I should warn you that we can't live off of stored blood alone, though the convenience is usually nice. Vampires are predators; we live for the thrill of the hunt and the beauty of a fresh kill. (Ooh, I think I just waxed poetic!) If you throw in the opportunity to kill some of those prisoners and undesirables ourselves, along with the Blood Bank, I think you'll win over every vampire in Europe without a second thought. I can't imagine how I could turn down fresh, warm blood that requires no stalking, subduing or any other hard work."

Tom smiled to himself and said in return, "That was certainly easier than I thought it would be. I'm inexpressibly glad I have you here to tell me these things."

Though he expressed it clearly, he was really much more grateful for Nyx's help than he could ever show her. Hearing her offer to help him without being a Death Eater herself gave Tom a strangely warm, fuzzy feeling that he would never admit to. He was coming closer and closer to forming the powerful alliance he craved between the two of them, and hearing that she was _already_ willing to support him was the highlight of his month.

The sixteen-year-old desperately wanted her to be initiated as a true Death Eater so that she could really be a part of his plans. She would be such a huge asset that Tom was actually afraid to do anything that might upset her; she was unpredictable enough that she might take something too personally and cut ties with him permanently. He couldn't afford to lose her now that he had become so deeply involved with her.

But the familiar sense of apprehension around her was still there. Nyx was better than a common peon and Tom knew it. How would she take the offer to _serve_ a person she had already threatened to kill, and nearly did?

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not.

**A/N:** Well, this is sort of a "bridge" chapter (the next one will be, too, but combining them would be about 10,000 words, so I left them separated) in that it takes care of the little things that occur between major events. After chapter 16, I don't think there'll really be any more "bridges" because that's when things start to get more… I dunno… Intense? I guess you could call it that. XD Anyway, if you were annoyed that there weren't any massive plot developments here, don't worry because you won't have to wait long before they come back.

In other news, I finally got _LoZ: Twilight Princess_ yesterday! It's fuckawesome so far. I finished Goron Mines already (about 10 hours of gameplay) so that explains why I didn't post this sooner, and why I haven't been working on the next chapter at all. XD Don't worry, I'm _**sure**_ I'll get stuck somewhere and get pissed off at the game and come back here. It always happens to me, which explains why I have yet to finish most of the games I own besides Pokemon.

The water dungeon is next… I hope I don't have any water levels to raise or lower or I'll pull my teeth out. –horrible OoT Water Temple memories come flooding back, making me cry bitterly in a corner- By the way, does anyone else hate Colin with a passion? DX Ugh, I loathe that kid. I love Malo, though. He's such a tiny little asshole, it's so awesome. Also, I had to use my dad's Bengay on my wrist because it hurt so much from swinging the damn sword around all yesterday afternoon. D: Did that happen to anyone else or am I just a total pansy?

Kudos to my lovely betas, Tiff and Shan.

**General Notes: "**Schadenfreude" is a German word that basically means "taking pleasure in other people's pain" LOL. They made a song out of it, which is how I learned the word. It's fun.

I think Nyx has ADHD. Why this never occurred to me after writing her for, oh, almost FOUR YEARS is a mystery. D: I swear to god, I don't understand how I write this stuff. It just flows out. OMG I probably have a split personality in my brain making this up for me and just forcing me to type it. Yeah, that must be it.

The "Are you a lesbian?" and "Are you hitting on me?" part is something I _**really**_ want to do to someone. If they're immature enough to ask "Are you a lesbian?" as if they're asking "Are you missing your brain?", they probably can't handle a response like that. Heehee.

The "aren't worth what a pig could spit" line was yet another Sweeney Todd reference, lol. I'm such a nerd. XD

I thought "Voldemort" was cool until I heard the French translation. I mean, come on. If Tom's so fucking brilliant and all, why couldn't he have thought of something better than that? Argh. JKR probably did it to make him look like a huge dipshit. Well, she succeeded.

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**--** **k**avi - **s**ama **--**


	14. Feet Don't Fail Me Now

**Gemini**

Prologue to The Other Kind of Evil

**Chapter 14. **Feet Don't Fail Me Now

"_Feet don't fail me now.  
I don't wanna be alone,  
Dancin' by myself.__"_

_- _"Feet Don't Fail" © Bleu

Tom was reclining in front of the library's imposing marble-and-granite fireplace in another one of his favorite plush chairs. It was late September and, compared to last June, things were fairly quiet in his life dictated by homework and Nyx's constant need to be entertained. He was so absorbed in his Transfiguration essay that he barely had time to shield his face with his book when something crashed into it and floated feebly into his lap.

It was a piece of deep orange paper that had been enchanted to fly on its own, crumpling itself up into a bat-like shape and fluttering off to its recipient. Tom sneered at it, wondering what could be important enough to warrant such an irritating messaging service. He slipped his finger under the gold wax seal and opened it; the enchantment broke instantly and the paper was once again perfectly flat and creaseless. He read the extravagant black text, feeling himself sink into unease:

_**First Annual Slug Club Halloween Ball**_

You have been cordially invited to attend Professor H. E. F. Slughorn's first annual Halloween Ball, reserved especially for the esteemed members of the Slug Club and their companions.

The event will be held on October the 31st at eight o'clock in the evening, in Professor Slughorn's office. Light refreshments will be served. Dancing will ensue. Each Member is encouraged to bring one friend or significant other.

Because this is a Halloween Ball, all guests will be required to partner up and wear matching or complimentary costumes, or they will not be admitted! Slug Club Members may dress up with any one person they choose, whether they too are a Member or not.

Creativity is highly encouraged as all costume pairs will be judged and awarded points during the Ball. The winners will receive a fabulous prize, so start planning soon!

(Keep it classy and in good taste, if you please. You will not be allowed to dress up as Hogwarts Students!)

Please R.S.V.P. as soon as possible.

- _Professor Slughorn_

Tom closed his eyes and sighed, thinking, _Why do I have the most horrible feeling that this has something to do with –_

"Hi buddy!" Nyx chirped, popping up out of thin air at his side, making him jump. "I got one too!" She waved the paper in his face before he was able to yell at her for startling him again.

"Did _you_ have something to do with this?" he demanded, putting his Transfiguration work aside.

"Of course! I'm the one who suggested it!"

"I knew it," he grumbled. "You seem to have a 'thing' for bizarre ideas and dressing up as other people."

"That's because it's fun," she said, grinning. "Do you want to go with me?"

Tom stared at her, crushed the invitation in one hand, and flicked it into the fireplace.

"Party pooper," the vampire hissed, frowning at him. "I was _depending_ on you to be my partner! If you don't go, neither will I."

"That's fine with me."

"I'll hang out with you anyway, though. I don't want you to get lonely." She grinned again.

The sixteen-year-old's eye twitched. _…Great. Damned if I do, damned if I don't._ After fighting to get the words out without punching himself in the mouth, he asked, "Who do you want to dress up as?"

"The Wicked Witch of the West and a flying monkey!" Nyx exclaimed dramatically, striking a pose.

"_**Absolutely not**_."

She looked utterly crushed as she whimpered, "But _why_? It would be so funny!"

"I _will **not**_ dress up as a goddamned ape with wings to _amuse_ you," he growled.

The vampire made a face at him and sat down in the comfy chair beside him. She thought for a few moments and suggested, "What about Scarlette O'Hara and Rhett Butler? We already agreed that we're eerily similar to them as we are. Plus we'd actually look _good_ in their clothes, instead of totally ridiculous."

Tom considered her for a while, turning his quill between his fingers. "…I suppose a tuxedo wouldn't be _nearly_ as bad as a monkey suit," he muttered. Just as Nyx was about to jump for joy, he added, "But if you even _think_ of making me get a tan and grow a 'stache, then _I'm **not** doing it_."

Nyx's expression of delight drooped until it was a look of pure defeat.

"See? I _knew_ you'd try to make me do something absurd," he said smugly; he usually couldn't predict her ideas so accurately.

"It wouldn't kill you to do something different for a change, you know," she shot back, smirking nastily. "You might find the tan-and-'stache look to be an _improvement_."

He laughed humorlessly. "I've already tried making myself look better by altering many aspects of my appearance, and I can assure you, _none_ of it was flattering. Besides, what will we do when we have to explain who we're dressed up as? I'd rather _die_ than admit that I've seen a Muggle movie. I am not doing it and that is _final_."

Nyx heaved a hugely annoyed sigh and stood up. "Fine! _Be_ difficult! I'll find something you'll wear if it takes me a month!"

In reality, it only took her about fifteen minutes of browsing through some books close to where she was already sitting.

"_Here's_ something you'll like," she laughed, trotting back over to him. "Elizabeth Bathory and Vlad Tepes – also known as the Bloody Countess and Dracula!"

Tom's eyebrows rose. "Vampires? That… That's actually a pretty good idea. I'm rather… surprised. I was _**sure**_ you would say "Dorothy and Toto," in which case I would have had to hurt you."

"That was Plan B in case you continued to be a stubborn ass like you always are," she snickered. "Obviously _I_ have my own, but I'll make some fake fangs for you to wear. I know you'll _thoroughly_ enjoy scaring people with them."

He laughed with her and agreed. "What else will we be wearing?"

"I'll design and create the costumes myself," she replied. "Back when I was still actually a teenager, I wanted to make my own dresses because I wanted it to be exactly what I wanted. In "ye olden dayes," girls were expected to know how to make clothes since they were expected to become a happy little wife, and then a happy little mother, and it was evidently a necessary life skill. Well, I was never much for the whole marriage-and-motherhood thing, but the experience will come in handy now. Oh, and I won't need to take your measurements – I can figure it out just be looking at you. We vampires are smart like that."

"Of course, because you're oh-so-special and all," Tom said, rolling his eyes.

Nyx scanned the invitation again and noticed something that could be a problem for her.

"Hey, Tom? It says, "dancing will ensue." What kind of dancing are they talking about?"

He shrugged. "Normal dancing, I should think."

"What, like around a Maypole?"

"Maypole…? No, they definitely won't have one of those."

She looked crestfallen. "Dammit. I like Maypoles. This is shaping up to be a pretty shitty party. Well, if it's "normal" dancing they'll have, then I suppose you're going to have to teach me what "normal" dancing is."

Tom glanced up apprehensively. He ran his fingers through his wavy black hair and said hesitantly, "Well, you don't _**have**_ to learn. They can't _force_ you to dance if you don't want to. I hate dancing myself, and no one ever made a fuss about _my_ lack of participation before."

"I don't care! Teach me!"

"You're not going to let me weasel out of this, are you?" he sighed.

"Not a chance."

"Then we should probably go somewhere more private than the library. We might as well get this over with sooner rather than later – not like you would let me rest until I did, anyway."

The two Slytherins gathered their belongings and took their time walking to the Room of Requirement. Tom walked past it three times and allowed Nyx to enter first. She was rather stunned by the new appearance of the room; a wide, circular dance floor made of mirror-polished wood, surrounded by opulent marble columns, and ornate wallpaper. On one side of the room, there were two wardrobes filled with dressy clothes and dressy shoes, next to which were two curtained "dressing rooms" with full-length mirrors inside. A shiny phonograph sat on the opposite end of the room. Hanging from the ceiling in the center of the dance floor was a magnificent crystal chandelier.

"Snazzy," Nyx murmured admiringly, dropping her bag unceremoniously onto the floor. Glancing at the frilly dresses peeking out of the wardrobe, she asked apprehensively, "Do I need to get dressed up for this?"

"You might want to practice wearing a modern formal outfit for a change," Tom replied. "Have you ever worn high heels before?"

"How high is high?"

"I'll assume that means "no." Grab one of those dresses and the tallest pair of shoes you can find. From what I understand, they're impossible to walk in without practice."

Nyx groaned in disgust as she grabbed the most garish and inconveniently designed dress and a pair of three-inch-heels. "I really hate being a girl sometimes, you know that?"

"I'm sure you're not the first one to think so," Tom laughed. He took his tie off and folded it neatly before tucking it into his pocket.

The disgruntled vampire staggered out from behind the curtain a few minutes later, looking horrific in the frilly dress and absolutely laughable in such high heels. "Please tell me I'm not expected to dress like this normally, _or_ like it."

Stifling his laughter, he replied, "You don't need to be uncomfortable if you don't want to, I suppose, but it seems that everyone else thinks "beauty is pain" and all that. Either way, I suppose it'll be a good experience for you since you've never done it before."

"Right," Nyx snorted derisively. "Like I'd ever subject myself to this bullshit again." She tried to walk towards him, stumbled in the high heels, stepped on the hem of the dress, ripped the fabric, and fell flat on her face.

Tom almost toppled over, he was laughing so hard. He didn't wait to calm down before helping her to her feet and receiving a death glare.

Snarling furiously, the vampire pulled the shoes off and flung one of them at the wall, where the pointy heel was stuck fast in the thick wallpaper. She paused and gaped at the other one and said, "Holy shit, you could _kill_ a person with one of these! …That's _**awesome**_!"

"Does that mean you're going to learn how to wear them just so that you can have a new weapon to wield?"

"Of course not! I have fangs, don't I? And my fangs are natural and comfortable, and they make me look a hell of a lot better than these damn shoes." She examined the wide tear in the dress and added, "I'm putting something better on. I wouldn't do this to myself no matter how "beautiful" it made me look."

Tom waited patiently for her to come out of the little dressing room again. When she did, her demeanor was much better thanks to the relaxed dress and lower-heeled shoes she was wearing.

"Are you ready?" he asked as she stood before him. Nyx nodded, and he flicked his wand to start the phonograph's slow, rhythmic tune. "First, give me your hand. No, the _other_ one."

She held it out and he took it a bit gingerly; he really, really disliked touching people, and Nyx's icy skin gave him chills. Tom placed his other hand on her waist, and before he could explain any further, she slapped him. Again.

Reeling, he yelled, "What the bloody hell was _**that**_ for?"

"I know I may seem pretty loose, but you should at least wait for me to make an offer before you go grabbing about!" she exclaimed, looking very affronted at his forwardness, but not really minding the fact that he had touched her in the first place. "I had no idea I had corrupted you _this_ badly."

Tom clenched his teeth and growled, "I am _**supposed**_ to put my hand there. If you had waited two seconds, I would have told you that."

"…Really?"

"Yes, _really_."

"You dance while _**groping**_ each other?"

"_It isn't **groping**_. Waltzing is classy and completely clean compared to some newer "dances," if you can even call them that."

"_Scandalous_! I love it!"

Tom smacked himself in the face with his palm.

The next hour was filled with more awkward moments, from feet being trampled on, to Nyx and Tom fighting over who got to lead ("_I'm_ the man, and therefore _**I** lead_!" "Fuck that! _**I**_ wanna lead!"), and the unfortunate Head Boy's hand accidentally slipping further south than he meant it to, earning him a few more slaps around the face ("What have I told you about waiting for an invitation?" "I didn't mean to, I swear!" "That's what we call a Freudian Slip, you filthy boy!"). But finally, after much hard work and heavy-duty cursing, Nyx got the hang of waltzing and the pair was able to move in perfect synchronization.

"I'm exhausted," the vampire exhaled, slipping the dressy shoes off and tossing them back into the wardrobe. "That was a lot more work than I thought it would be."

"_**You're**_ exhausted," he grumbled, massaging his faintly red cheek.

Nyx looked at him guiltily. After pausing for a moment to think, she stepped over to him and placed her cool hand over the spot that it had struck so many times already. Tom felt a peculiar, tingly sensation until she removed her hand and smiled at him.

"There. Good as new!" she chirped. "Sorry I was a bit quick on the draw. I guess I'm just not in the mood today."

He touched his face lightly and found that the impending hand-shaped bruise had been healed. "I suppose only vampires can do that sort of healing," he muttered, slightly jealous that he couldn't do it himself.

She nodded. "Good thing you have one for a friend, eh?"

Tom gave her a surprised look before averting his eyes to put his tie back on. After several moments of silence, he said hesitantly, "I've actually never seen any purpose in having real friends. I respect very few people and I certainly don't trust any of _them_, let alone the rest of the population. It's easier and more comfortable to keep a good distance from other people since I tend to despise them so much." He paused to look up at her again. "But not you. I actually think I do want you to be my friend. If nothing else, the benefits are great. But I wouldn't expect you to feel the same way about me, not until I truly proved my worth as an ally of sorts –"

"Tom, you proved your worth a _long_ time ago," she replied, smirking. "I'm still here, aren't I?"

He stared after her as she drifted behind the curtain again, putting her uniform robes back on. He grinned to himself, thinking about how they had just reached an unspoken agreement that no one else could measure up to the other. Tom felt oddly happy as he thought about it, not just because he liked the idea of being "the best" in Nyx's eyes, but because he had finally found someone who was truly on equal terms with him.

The next day's Advanced Invitational Potions class was unusually eventless. Nyx and Tom were seated next to one another, as usual, but the vampire had been uncharacteristically quiet and well behaved. Usually she struck up plenty of conversations as they worked on their assignments (everyone in the class was gifted enough to multitask like this, so Slughorn never hushed anyone), or she was playing with her wand/ingredients/Tom's ingredients/whatever else she could find while she waited for her potion to brew. If she was feeling mischievous, she would try to sabotage her classmates' potions by adding in unneeded ingredients while they weren't looking. Tom had been a frequent victim of this earlier in the month, but Nyx liked tormenting Estelle much more. Potions was the blonde's only good subject, and though she didn't take the class very seriously, Slughorn admired her knack for brewing cosmetic concoctions.

"What's on your mind?" Tom asked conversationally as he measured out twenty-three drops of toad sweat and spooned it into his cauldron. "You haven't said a world since before lunch."

"I'm not feeling very well," she mumbled, staring blankly at her textbook. She hadn't added anything in a few long minutes, and her potion was beginning to smoke.

"You look pale. Pal_**er**_, I mean," he replied. "You might want to stir that, or it'll solidify, and I wouldn't count on Slughorn to clean it out for you."

Nyx didn't respond. She looked much more peaky and lifeless than she usually did, and Tom got the feeling that she was in a bad mood.

_It must be that magically wonderful time of the month_, he thought with a shudder. _I better not ask or she'll use **me** to replenish all the blood she's losing…_

He was right, but it wasn't the "time of the month" he was thinking of. There would be a full moon that night, and that was why Nyx felt so sick. She hadn't looked at a full moon since Tom met her, and it was having a seriously detrimental effect on her physical and mental health. Nyx needed to find a solution for her hidden problem or she would lose control to her more carnal nature, furious at being pent up inside her for so long. She had made a separate peace with herself about killing so many people to sustain her energy, and to rid the world of a few more undesirables, but murdering innocent people for no reason wasn't her style. It was even worse if she couldn't control it.

That day's lesson soon ended with a perfect potion from Tom, as usual, and an uncannily toxic liquid from Nyx. Slughorn was very surprised at this, and even more so when she asked to stay for a minute to ask him something. Tom continued on to their next class to warn Dumbledore that she would be a bit late.

"Well, Miss Harthcrow, what seems to be the trouble?" the portly professor asked as he sat down in his cushioned seat. "I hope you haven't been robbed of your potion-making talents."

"I haven't been well since yesterday, Professor. I haven't been able to concentrate on _any_ of my work, including potions," she said quietly. "I was hoping I could ask you for something to help me feel better."

"Why, of course!" he laughed. "You know I would never hesitate to lend a hand to one of my favorite students! What seems to be ailing you? Migraine? Irritable Bowel Syndrome? Stubbed your toe?"

"I know what the problem is, but if I told you, you'd never believe me," Nyx replied, unsmiling. "So I want to _**show**_ you instead. What I need you to do is make me a Draught of Peace and bring it to the Western entrance after nightfall. Ten o'clock should be late enough. I will meet you there. Please don't tell _anyone_ about this."

Slughorn gave her a strange look and said uneasily, "All right. I'll be there."

He spent the rest of the day wondering what she could possibly have that would require such a secretive atmosphere, and a Draught of Peace to boot. Clad in his silky pine green pajamas and matching robe, the Potions Master waited at the Western door with a goblet full of the potion in his pudgy little hand. Nyx stepped out of the shadows just as he approached. She was dressed only in a long white nightshirt, and she was barefoot.

"Draught of Peace, if you please," she said in a low voice.

Slughorn handed it over and was shocked to see that she looked absolutely haggard in the dim light. "Good heavens, girl, what's happening to you?!" he exclaimed.

Nyx slugged the potion down quickly and replied, "Come outside with me and you'll find out."

The professor nodded and stared at her worriedly as he waddled along behind her. Once they were out in the open, she began speaking again in that low, tired voice. As she did so, the vampire fussed with the blood ruby around her neck to make sure it was fastened securely.

"Before I show you what's wrong with me, I need you to understand something. You will be _the only person_ who knows this about me, and I wouldn't be showing you unless I needed help badly. I could probably make something myself, but since you have more experience than I do, better access to the supplies and more time, it's easier this way. I need you to be calm and collected, and _quiet_. Don't shoot first and ask questions later, as it were. If you do, I can't be held accountable for my actions. Do you understand?"

Slughorn was very taken aback by his students commanding tone, but he nodded anyway. After all, he _did_ want to help her out if he could, and he would go crazy if his curiosity wasn't satisfied.

Nyx took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Without warning, she looked straight up at the moon, and her features instantly began to distort. Her face lengthened into a snout, her hands and feet morphed into paws, a tail sprouted out from underneath her nightshirt, and thick black fur coated her entire body. In a matter of seconds, she had transformed into an enormous werewolf.

Slughorn blanched and jumped back, looking frantic. Nyx-the-wolf was standing between him and the door, watching him with her eerie silvery eyes. He fumbled in the pocket of his robe for his wand, and once he got a hold of it in his shaking hand, the werewolf's sudden bark startled him into dropping it.

"What did I _just_ tell you about staying calm?" Nyx's disembodied voice demanded. She was speaking to him through telepathy. "I'm not going to hurt you unless you panic and cause trouble for me. That means that if you start yelling for help or try to fight me, I'm going to _have_ to do something unpleasant to you. I might as well take this opportunity to impress upon you the fact that _I do not want **anyone** else to know about my furry little problem_. Do you comprehend that?"

"Y-yes…"

"Good," she said more peacefully. The wolf slipped awkwardly out of her nightshirt and draped it over her back to keep it with her; she could have carried it in her enormous fangs, but she didn't want to have to explain the bite marks. "I should also add that I'm a vampire on top of a werewolf. Unfortunate, isn't it? That's why I need you to make me something that will keep me under control. For a normal werewolf, things are bad enough, but being a vampire as well complicates things a _lot_. If I go berserk, I will kill loads and loads of people. You don't want that on your conscience, _do you_?"

Slughorn shook his head emphatically. His entire blubbery body was quivering in fright, and his wide gooseberry eyes were locked on his "favorite student."

"I didn't think so. Now, the reason I asked you for a Draught of Peace was because that seems to help me stay in control and not maul anybody. This ruby around my neck –" she nudged it with her nose "- suppresses my vampiric urges for blood, as well as my violent werewolf tendencies. Combined, these two things make me much nicer and less dangerous. However, I can't be sure how long they will last. The effect could wear off after a while, and then _everyone_ would be in serious trouble.

"I can't simply avoid transformation at all costs, either; _you_ saw me today. That was the result of not assuming this form for _nine months_. Clearly it isn't in my best interest to suppress my inner wolf for that long, and it doesn't do anyone else any good either. You have no idea how hard it is to leave people alone when you have the strongest urge to just bite into something and rip it to pieces…"

Nyx started drooling a little bit at that, but she soon noticed it and licked her jaws a bit sheepishly. Slughorn was not amused.

"I find that hard to believe!" he huffed. "Not looking at a full moon for _nine entire months_, and you're a _werewolf_ for heaven's sakes! Preposterous!"

"The last time I looked at a full moon, I _**ate**_ thirty people," she growled, raising her tail threateningly. "One of those people was my best friend, and the other was my _fiancée_. Do you think I would risk this transformation without first drinking a Draught of Peace, which I have been unable to access for these past nine months? What if I went ballistic like that again and I killed even _more_ people? What if I killed _**you**_? Putting up with the discomfort is easier than living with the guilt that I murdered the man I loved more than life itself, and that there was nothing I could do to stop it. I wouldn't be asking for your help if I weren't desperate for some way to control myself completely. I _will not_ let the past repeat itself. _I will **not**_."

"I'm terribly sorry to hear that, but… Well… W-why should _**I**_ stick my neck out for _you_?" Slughorn demanded nervously. "You're likely wanted by someone or other for all the killing you've done! Why should _**I**_ be the one who bears the burden of your secrets? Do you have any idea what could happen to me if anyone found out that I was helping you pretend to be human?"

The wolf stared at him coldly, cocking her head to the side as she considered him. "…come with me. There's one last thing I can tell you about myself. If _**this**_ doesn't give you a reason to help me, nothing short of a death threat will."

She padded over to a blank section of the castle wall and, opening her muzzle, made an unnatural, rasping noise at the back of her throat. She had to repeat the same sound a few times before she got it right because a wolf isn't designed to hiss. Finally, the stones began to shift and fall back, revealing a large arched doorway. Nyx growled at Slughorn when he hesitated to follow her into the blackness.

They walked down the long, poorly lit hallway for a few minutes. When there weren't stairs, it constantly sloped downwards and turned towards the same point underground. Slughorn wanted to ask so many questions, but he was earnestly afraid of the wolf striding beside him, so he kept his mouth firmly shut. Finally they came to a circular room strewn with the bones of small animals. A tunnel led up to the surface and, Nyx knew, a bathroom. Taking a secret entrance instead of the usual one under a sink was a better idea at the time.

The Potions Master looked very unhappy as his silky little slippers became caked with grime, but he continued in Nyx's wake as she led him to a long, cave-like room. At the end was a huge metal door engraved with hundreds of snakes. The wolf looked at it disdainfully; she never liked her father's tacky decorator's touches. She made another strangled hissing noise and the heavy door swung open laboriously.

Slughorn gasped sharply once he stepped into the next room. A long path lay before him, flanked by pillars and statues of more snakes. The stone floor was wet and the cavernous place smelled of mold, fish and death. The wolf pushed him forwards when he stopped to stare for too long at the end of the pathway. There stood the gargantuan statue of Slytherin himself, whose head Nyx had replaced out of the kindness of her heart.

She hissed again: "_It's just me, Zexala. I have someone else here too, but you're not allowed to kill him, so just stay hidden for now_."

Slughorn, meanwhile, was trying to blubber out a few words to express his feelings, but he was too amazed to be coherent. He was even more surprised when the werewolf slipped back into her nightshirt and began morphing back into a human.

"The Calming Draught also shortens the transformation," she explained before he had to ask; she no longer needed to speak through telepathy. "As you can undoubtedly tell, this is the Chamber of Secrets."

His mouth fell open, making him look comically like a goldfish. _I suspected it, b-but… Th-this is too **unbelievable**…_

"The reason I brought you here is to prove to you who I really am. Only someone with Slytherin's blood in their veins could possibly locate this place and enter it without being killed by the basilisk. By the way, you needn't worry about her attacking you. I asked her to stay hidden for now, but you can see her later if you like."

"D-does this mean…" he breathed. "…y-_you_ are the Heir of Slytherin?"

Nyx laughed humorlessly. "Technically, I _**should**_ be the Heir, but ol' Sally seemed to have someone a bit younger in mind." When Slughorn didn't get it, she finally said, "I'm his daughter – first-born, actually. Onyxsus Valentina Ariana Lilith Slytherin. But don't call me Onyxsus or I'll maim you; my father was the only one who ever called me by my full name, and it brings back bad memories if I hear it. Also, if I hear but _one_ comment on the fact that my initials spell out "ovals," I will have to maim you again."

Slughorn gaped at her for a few long moments before smiling enormously, chortling so that his belly shook. "Oh, my dear Miss Harthcrow, you are quite possibly the most creative person I know! That is a very, very clever story, but I'm afraid you haven't convinced me. But I am most interested in how you managed to get in here in the first place…"

She narrowed her eyes at him and spoke in Parseltongue again. The basilisk slithered out of a nearby tunnel with its eyes closed, following the voice of its "big sister." Zexala came to a stop beside her and bent her head down to that Nyx could stroke the acid green scales affectionately.

"You were saying?" she asked her professor, smiling.

Slughorn was rooted to the spot, staring at the huge serpent in horror. He glanced at Nyx uncomprehendingly, spluttering half-questions and exclamations of his disbelief.

"Don't hurt yourself, Horace," she said, chuckling. "I'll explain everything."

Nyx began to describe her early life, her family, and of course her father. She told him about the coffin and vaguely why she ended up in there, and how Tom had found her. She also used the immense statue behind her as a comparison; Slughorn easily saw the resemblance between her and the Founder. Everything she needed to say to make him believe, she did, and in a short amount of time, Slughorn had gone from terrified to joyous.

"I simply cannot believe I'm teaching Salazar Slytherin's daughter!" he said delightedly. "It's the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to me! I apologize for my rude behavior before, I had no idea…"

"That's quite all right," Nyx replied, smiling. "You know better than to disrespect me now, and that's all that matters."

"Of course, of course… Now, you said your father seemed to have someone else in mind when he chose his Heir. Do you know who that might be?" The hunger in his voice was unmistakable.

"Tom Riddle."

Slughorn's eyes almost popped out of his skull.

"But _don't_ tell him I told you that," Nyx added firmly. "He and I may be close due to our common heritage (though forty generations isn't exactly close…) but we're not close enough for me to tell him the truth. I don't want you to tell _anyone_ about me, my father, or the fact that I'm a werewolf-vampire hybrid. But Tom is the one I _especially_ don't want to find out yet."

"Well, of all people, I thought _he_ would already know!"

"I would have told him straightaway, but I don't know how he would take the news. He already knows I'm a vampire, but werewolves might not be so acceptable to him. Who knows whether he'd be glad to be friends Slytherin's daughter or treat me like a threat to his title as Heir. We need to have _complete_ trust in each other before I reveal any of this to him."

"I'll put in a good word for you the next time I talk to him," Slughorn said with a wink.

Nyx laughed. "Thanks. I'm glad you can understand my many plights. By the way, I'm going to the Halloween party. That'll be a full moon, in case you didn't know."

"Don't worry about a thing, my dear," he said pleasantly. "I know _just_ the potion to brew up, and I will have it at the ready for you whenever you need it. You _know_ I'm more than willing to assist someone like yourself."

"Of course." Nyx smirked. "I'll be dressing up as the Bloody Countess –"

"How appropriate," he chuckled.

"- and Tom is going as Dracula."

Slughorn stared at her. "You're going with _him_?"

Nyx nodded simply.

"O-ho-_ho_! Does this mean that you two are –"

"_**NO**_. It means _nothing of the sort_, Horace. We're just friends, that's all. And I know what a stretch it is for him to call _anyone_ a friend, so I'm not taking this relationship lightly, and neither should you," she growled, giving him a threatening look. "I would be very grateful for your help in earning Tom's trust, but I would like to make one small request. _**Do not** try to "hook us up."_ Got it?"

"Alright, alright, I'll behave myself," he replied. He was visibly deflated by her command, but he had no choice but to obey it. Now that he knew how powerful Nyx was, he couldn't possibly go against her wishes.

But the old Potions Master had some hope left for his two favorite students.

_Shame I can't have a hand in it anywhere, but I suppose it doesn't matter if the result is the same. Being the way those two are, they'll probably end up together on their own accord._

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not.

**A/N:** I know I said I considered this a "bridge" chapter before, but then I read it again and thought, "…nah. The werewolf revelation is big enough to make it an important chapter." So the last "bridge" chapter should be chapter 16. Yay.

Does anyone else here read Vampire Knight? (by Matsuri Hino, I think) I own volumes 1-4, but I found the scanlations for the rest of the released chapters (up to 40) last night. HOLY FUCKING SHIT ON A CRACKER. –DEATH TO THE MAX- If anyone else has read them, I'd like to discuss. –flips out some more- (Go to"www dot One Manga dot com slash Vampire underscore Knight slash" to read them.)

Kudos to my lovely betas, Tiff and Shan.

**General Notes: **I find the images of Tom as a flying monkey or as Rhett Butler just too goddamn funny. XD Shame he wouldn't go for it in the story, but that doesn't mean I can't make some crack drawings about those costumes. –laughs maniacally-

Heehee, Nyx and her Maypole. I should draw that, too. A Maypole is part of the festivities of May Day (May 1st) and if I remember correctly, it's a tall pole in the ground with a bunch of ribbons streaming off of it. You grab a ribbon and start walking (dancing?) about the pole in a circle with a bunch of other people. There was one in Monty Python and the Holy Grail – right before the part with the King of Swamp Castle and his girly son, Herbert. XD

"That's what we call a Freudian Slip, you filthy boy!" I thought this was really, really funny considering the fact that his hand is literally slipping down to her butt. Lol, yeah, it's stupid and juvenile but I don't care because it makes me laugh. XD

Now you know Nyx's full name, finally, and why her initials spell out "Ovals." XD I love how other people give their Mary Sues a bunch of names, and they're all weird, and sometimes they spell out something cool or mysterious or whatever… And Nyx's initials spell Ovals. XD Not badass in the least. Poor Nyx.

The potion Slughorn will make Nyx is a Wolfsbane-like drink, but not actually Wolfsbane because according to canon, I don't think Wolfsbane was invented for another 20-30 years. But, it will have a similar effect on her. She'll still need the Draught of Peace and the blood ruby, but the new potion will help a lot, too.

For the OKoE readers, Nyx's "furry little problem" was no surprise (you were probably wondering when she would reveal it) but now you know the story behind hr connection with Slughorn. The poor guy has no choice but to obey her for all those years. D:

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**--** **k**avi - **s**ama **--**


	15. Fever

**Gemini**

Prologue to The Other Kind of Evil

**Chapter 15. **Fever

"_Never know how much I love you, never know how much I care.  
When you put your arms around me, I get a fever that's so hard to bear.  
You give me fever - when you kiss me, fever when you hold me tight.  
Fever - in the morning, fever all through the night.__"_

_- _"Fever" © Michael Buble

Tom stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom and appraised his reflection. Slughorn's Halloween Costume Ball would be starting in a short while, and the seventh-year had just finished getting his outfit on. He couldn't help but feel annoyed the whole time, though.

"These silly parties of his are such a waste of time," he grumbled. "I _hate_ attending them, and tonight will probably be even worse than usual. I doubt there will even be anyone influential I can kiss up to…"

Tom took a second glance at himself and smirked. "Waste of time or not, I make a _**damn**_ good vampire."

That was all thanks to Nyx's brilliant costume designs and handy tailoring knowledge. Every piece of clothing suited him perfectly; the high-collared black shirt, the blood red tie around his neck, the black silver-embroidered vest, the nicely (read: slightly tight) fitting black pants, well-shined shoes, and finally the classy white gloves and black cape lined with red silk. He grinned at himself and admired the fake fangs Nyx made for him – porcelain models of her own canines, temporarily attached to his own teeth with a simple sticking charm. With his ebony black hair, deep eyes, and deathly pale skin, he easily put Bela Lugosi to shame.

Tom would have preferred green to red for his ensemble, but Nyx insisted that a bloody color would be much more logical for a vampire to wear, no matter how distastefully Gryffindor it was. That gory shade of red happened to be her favorite color, ironically. Her mind subconsciously connected that color to the sweet taste of AB positive, so it was impossible for her to not love it.

Unlike Tom, Nyx was giddy with excitement for the Ball. Since the last "party" she had been to occurred during the middle ages, she was thrilled to see what a modern one would be like. Her human companion's descriptions hadn't been very helpful since he was so negative about the whole thing.

"Maybe he'll feel better once he realizes how awesome his outfit is," she mused as she applied the last of her mascara. Her pale mossy green eyes were pink and watery after having poked herself several times with the applicator. She had a much easier time with the smoky eye shadow and deep, dark red lipstick, although once she licked her lips and tasted it, she questioned the logic in putting something gross on one's mouth to look "pretty."

She stepped away from the mirror she conjured to admire her getup and grin smugly to herself as she envisioned she and Tom being the best dressed pair, hands-down. The vampire was dressed in a long gown, obviously in her favorite shade of red, with black and silver accents to match Tom's clothes. The flattering corset-like top tied down her abdomen with black ribbon, and the trailing sleeves were slit up to her upper arms, leaving her long black gloves visible. Hidden by the thick fabric were her flat slipper-like shoes, which she insisted upon wearing after her last high-heels fiasco. Her waist-length wavy mess of hair was pulled up into a loose half-updo, allowing the tips to fall across her bare shoulders and curl around her neck, where her trusty blood ruby was fastened. Not surprisingly, the ruby was the exact same shade as the dress.

Nyx bared her fangs at herself, first looking menacing, then playful, then seductive, and finally stupid as she passed a few minutes of spare time by making faces. Finally she got bored with that and decided to go look for her costume partner in the common room, where she quickly found him, seated in his usual couch in front of the fireplace. As his head turned to look at her, both of them froze, staring at each other, very impressed with what they saw.

Feeling himself start to blush a bit as he admired the distractingly sexy corset, Tom rose to his feet and cleared his throat. "Good work on the costumes. Considering how much Slughorn loves the two of us, and how magnificent we both look, I can only assume that we'll win the contest by a landslide."

"We had _better_ win it, or I'll be forced to do a live reenactment of how the Bloody Countess earned her name. All I'll need is a young girl and a bathtub, and they'll be too scared to deny us the prize," Nyx snickered darkly. "Incidentally, I find it quite funny that red looks better on you than green."

"It does _**not**_," Tom retorted, sounding rather offended. "I'd just use magic to change the color myself, but I'm afraid you'd bite me for it."

"Dracula wouldn't have worn green, dummy," Nyx said stubbornly. "And besides, what would _I_ do? I refuse to change this gorgeous dress I made, and I don't want to look like the Christmas Duo. And look at my blood ruby! It matches the fabric _perfectly_!"

"What _**is**_ it with you and that thing? You wear it every damn day, and you don't even take it off even when you go to sleep," he asked.

The vampire chuckled and replied, "People like me wear blood rubies to control our more… _carnal_ urges. Without this, I definitely would have bitten you to death ages ago. It was a gift from my late father, actually, although I must say it holds no sentimental value for me. It's purely a necessity, a sort of shield for anyone I might attack."

Tom raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Is that so?" he murmured thoughtfully. "Interesting. Do all vampires carry blood rubies?"

"Absolutely not! These are extremely rare gemstones," she explained. "I was very lucky to get such a big one, to be honest. There aren't enough blood rubies for all the vampires in the world anyway. I _know_ you've heard all about unprovoked vampire attacks, sometimes with multiple victims. When bloodlust hits us really hard, we can't help but go berserk and kill everything in sight until we've drunk our fill… This ruby helps me control myself in those situations, though it doesn't quench my thirst or completely guarantee that I won't kill anyone accidentally."

"I'm glad you're wearing it, then, even if it means I'm stuck wearing this horrible color…" Tom sighed.

The Slytherin pair made their short trip down the hall to the Potions Master's dungeon office, where the Halloween Ball was in full swing. The room was decorated with appropriately ghoulish and creepy odds and ends, in the unusual combination of black, green, orange and silver. Apparently Slughorn thought it would be best to mix the Halloween colors with the colors of his House.

Nyx and Tom walked in and many heads immediately turned. The vampire just looked up at her companion and grinned smugly. Their costumes were certainly the most elaborate and professional looking, but it helped that the people wearing them were notoriously attractive, too.

"Ah, and here they are!" Slughorn's loud voice exclaimed as he quickly waddled over to them. The glass of mead in his pudgy little hand sloshed over a bit, and the two Slytherins immediately understood why his face was so red and he seemed so happy. "I was just talking to Albus over there, and he was telling me about how the two of you keep fighting each other for top grades in Transfiguration. So I said to him, "That's funny, they do it in my class, too!" Ha ha ha! And just as we wondered if you forgot about tonight, in you walk, looking positively _smashing_! Best costumes I've seen so far! I have no doubt our judges will agree!" He laughed heartily and took another swig of mead before asking, "So shall I guess your identities or are you going to be generous?"

Nyx grinned enormously and Slughorn jumped at the sight of her fangs. Tom smirked and said, "These are fake, Professor." He flashed him a winning smile to display his own porcelain teeth, and the Potions Master doubled over laughing to cover up his blunder. He wasn't supposed to know that Nyx really _was_ a vampire, and now wasn't a good time to tell Tom that he did.

"Very clever!" he praised them. "You must be Dracula –" Tom nodded "- and you must be the Bloody Countess." Nyx nodded, too. "What wonderfully-crafted fangs! They look _**very**_ convincing… I suppose you can scare a few people if you really must, but try not to terrorize _**everyone**_ tonight." Nyx already told him who she and Tom were dressing up as, but that was during the secret conversation they had a month ago, so Slughorn pretended to be oblivious.

"We'll behave," the vampire sighed. Tom knew she was lying by the mischievous look in her eyes.

They stayed to chat with Slughorn for a while, and eventually drifted away when he spotted another favorite student of his. They wandered about the room, making small talk with their teachers and classmates, and taking a few Halloween-themed snacks and drinks – oddly realistic spider-shaped chocolates and pumpkin juice disguised as blood, to name some. Tom sat down in one of the plush armchairs in one corner of the office, and Nyx perched herself on the matching chair beside it.

"Considering how gregarious Horace is, this seems like a very tiny party. I was expecting a huge crowd," she commented before eating one of the spider chocolates whole. The large room looked sparse even though there were about fifty people there.

"That's true. Wait until Christmas, though," Tom replied, smirking. "He has his Annual Slug Club Christmas Party in here as well, and he invites a load of people. A lot of his ex-students and acquaintances are pretty prominent in society; Ambrosius Flume, Barnabus Cuffe, and the last Minister of Magic were all present at last year's party, to name a few."

"Oh, yeah, I've heard of them," she murmured. "That sounds like a very interesting little gathering with people like that. I'm looking forward to it already!"

Tom grinned silently as he sipped the red pumpkin juice in his hand and thought, "_It's the highlight of my entire **year**_."

They sat there for a while, watching the couples twirl across the makeshift dance floor as Slughorn's favorite old phonograph churned out a waltz. Tom was "staring off into space" more than "watching," but Nyx was still fascinated by these strange new customs, especially when it came to dancing. She popped the last chocolate spider into her mouth and hopped out of her seat. Standing in front of Tom, she commanded, "Dance with me!"

He looked up at her like a puppy that was being scolded for pooping on the carpet. He took a sip of pumpkin juice to delay his reply, and said, "You know, I've been thinking about that, and I've decided I'd rather not dance at all. I guess I'm just not feeling up to it tonight. I hardly enjoy it to begin with."

Nyx glared at him.

"And besides, I don't want to draw any extra attention to myself. Everyone's been staring at me because of the costume, and it's really creepy," he added carefully. "I may have an oversized ego, according to you, but I am _**not**_ an attention whore."

The vampire ordered in a low voice, "You _**will**_ dance with me or I _**will**_ turn you into a woman and make you prance around the room in your underwear."

Tom stared at her.

"And I'll make your underwear pink with rainbows and bunnies on it."

He started to frown.

"And then I'll turn myself into a _man_ and –"

"_All right_, I get the idea!" he snapped, getting to his feet in a hurry.

Nyx grinned and linked arms with the disgruntled seventh-year, leading him out onto the floor, where they began to dance. The vampire found the wondering stares from the other dancers very amusing and occasionally flashed her teeth at them to watch their startled reactions. Tom was still very, very grumpy about the whole thing, but he soon donned his mask of pleasant patience. He wanted to make sure he looked "right" no matter how unhappy he felt.

Unlike the other partygoers, Nyx saw right through it. "Aww, Tommy's shy!" she cooed, giggling maniacally. "He doesn't want anybody to know how much he wants to kill the poor, innocent new girl right now!"

His mask faltered for a moment before he growled back, "Firstly, _do not_ _**ever**_ call me that again. Secondly, I am _not_ shy. I just hate parties, and y_ou_ certainly aren't helping the atmosphere."

"Don't be such a jerk! I'm a fun person!" she insisted.

"Sure, when it's just the two of us," Tom muttered. "But when we're around other people like this, you get way out of control. I guess it's my "shyness," but I hate how you draw so much attention to us all the time… You _know_ I hate all of my classmates because they're a bunch of brainless bores, and yet you drag me out here against my will where I have to interact with them. I can't enjoy myself if I'm surrounded by these worthless ingrates."

"Well then, ignore those boring stiffs and just have fun with _me_!"

Tom felt himself grow very warm for a moment as he stared at her. He thought for a moment and decided, "Well, fuck it."

He tuned out everything around him but the music and Nyx, who was now smiling to herself because she saw that the mask was gone. The many curious and impressed stares went unnoticed as they stepped in perfect sync with each other to the rhythm of the music. It was like they had both gone off into their own little shared world of bliss – a quiet, idiot-free solitude where they didn't have to think about what the rest of the population thought of them, for good or ill. The song ended, allowing them to fade back into reality somewhat reluctantly.

"I'm thirsty," Nyx declared as they returned to their chairs. "Not for blood, though," she added quickly.

"I'll get the drinks, then," Tom said as he turned to leave. He still felt unnaturally warm, so he got something cold for himself before returning.

Taking the fresh glass of pumpkin juice out of his hand, Nyx asked, "Are parties a special case or do you always need to be _**told**_ to loosen up? You were bad enough over the summer, but you were still recovering from the you-know-what, so I cut you a break. I didn't think this would be normal."

Tom laughed uncomfortably. "Well, I'm a much more serious person by nature than you are," he explained. "I have to keep up this façade in front of everyone to maintain my reputation as well."

"It must be a hard life to live, pretending all the time," Nyx muttered, staring almost guiltily into her drink. "A long time ago, everyone expected certain things from me because I was a "proper young lady." I, of course, refused to bend to their wishes and acted as I normally would have, which offended and shocked a lot of people. _That's_ one habit I haven't changed in all these years. I am who I am and I don't compromise that for anyone."

"I do this for my _own_ benefit, not because I'm being pressured," he added. "Take Slughorn for instance. As long as he continues to think I'm a Saint, he and his connections can really make my life easier, if you know what I mean. I've been expected to do certain things as well, but they tend to benefit me in some way, so I'm willing to be flexible. Our situations are probably completely different, though."

"That's true," she replied. "Still, it must suck that you can't just be yourself and still get what you want."

Tom gave her a twisted smile as he said, "It's not so bad now that I know someone who sees through the act and doesn't judge me harshly for it since she's about as bad as I am."

"Right. Having someone with problems like your own makes them a bit easier to tolerate," she laughed.

He smiled quietly, fidgeting a little in his seat as he thought carefully about what he wanted to say next. He began quietly, somewhat unsure of himself, but earnest; "Nyx, I can't begin to tell you how glad I am that I found you all those months ago… I'm especially glad we started off on the right foot, or I might be dead right now. You've had such a tremendous impact on my life that I can't imagine how I could have gotten this far without you. I'm talking mainly about the H-word, but you've helped me in other ways, too."

He paused to steady himself for what he was about to say next, a thing that seemed insanely right at the time, "I-I was just thinking about something a few minutes ago. I was wondering if you –"

Tom stopped abruptly when Estelle walked by and tripped herself, flinging her glass of juice into Nyx's lap. Her hands flew up to her mouth as she tried to look shocked and apologetic as she squeaked, "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She pinched her lips together to hold in her laughter.

Nyx looked at Tom and asked bluntly, "You saw that happen, right? You realize I didn't just piss all over myself?"

He was at a total loss for words at Estelle's brash stupidity, but as he was about to go for his wand to punish her right then and there, the vampire rectified the situation herself. Without using her wand or even her hands, she sucked the liquid out of the fabric and flung it into the blonde's face, ruining her picture-perfect hair and making her makeup run down her cheeks. The juice dripped down onto her handmade medieval princess dress, wreaking havoc on the green velvet and white lace trimmings.

"Oopsie!" Nyx giggled, taking pains to show her fangs as clearly as possible as she laughed. The combination of pointy teeth and backfired prank sent Estelle stomping off in a fury without another word, grabbing Sir Abraxas the Knight-in-Shining-Armor as she went and dragging him out with her.

"Serves her right, the little bitch," she growled, taking her seat again. "I wanted to bite her _just_ for wearing that godawful dress and calling herself a "Medieval Princess." No one in _my_ day would have worn an ugly thing like that. I should have set it on fire, whether she was still in it or not."

Tom chuckled quietly. He was still very angry that Estelle was being so rude to Nyx, but perhaps if Nyx fought back, Estelle would get discouraged and leave her alone. Or, she would get herself killed. "How did you do that?"

"Telekinesis," Nyx replied proudly. "Before you ask, it's a special vampire trick, so I can't teach you how to use it. Sorry."

"Hmm. I could use a skill like that, so bite away," he laughed, pulling his collar down playfully and exposing his neck.

The vampire pulled it back up roughly and hissed, "Don't tempt me! Your neck is too nice! If I bit you even lightly, I might get over-enthusiastic and kill you!"

Tom laughed a little again and fixed his collar like the neat freak he was. He asked, "So is looking at throats for you like a man staring at a woman's chest or something?"

"In a way, yes," she replied, smirking. "But I'd clearly be much more dangerous if I was "aroused" by your neck than you were when you saw my boobs."

"Can't you please forget about that? It was humiliating," he groaned, trying to look pitiful enough to earn her sympathy.

"I thought it was cute…in a sick and twisted way," she snickered.

Tom threw her a long, clear look, and suddenly punched her in the arm and hissed, "_You did that on purpose, you heartless bitch!_"

"I was waiting for you to realize that," she went on laughing, totally unhurt by his weak attack. He shot her a very injured look and she sighed, "Enough with the puppy eyes already! It didn't kill you and I'm sure that, deep down, you've gotten over it by now. At least you have a good memory to make up for your demolished dignity." She said the last art with an overdramatic flair.

Following her lead, Tom rose to his feet and scoffed, "Ugh, you're _**so**_ insensitive to my pain! I don't know what I _ever_ saw in you! I am _**leaving!**_"

"No!" Nyx fake gasped. "Don't abandon me, my love! I didn't mean it! I'm so sorry!"

"You only loved me for my body, _didn't you_, you cruel, heartless monster!" he snapped. "Well I don't need you anymore! I'll find someone else who can actually appreciate me for who I am and won't _abuse_ me the way you have!"

The vampire slumped to the floor and pretended to weep bitterly over her lost love. Just then, Slughorn noticed that they seemed to be "fighting" and hurried over. "What in the blazes is going on here?" he asked, extremely concerned, and very tipsy. "Is this like a boxing match with words? Can we place bets? Who's winning?"

Nyx and Tom just looked at each other until the vampire burst out laughing, rolling onto her side. Tom said, "It's nothing, professor. Just…never mind. But I think Nyx and I are ready to leave." She agreed as she picked herself up off the floor and her giggling subsided.

"Are you sure?" Slughorn asked hopefully, but they both nodded. He sighed and said after a hiccup, "Well, I suppose I can't tie you up and keep you as prisoners. I'd get in trouble. Good night!"

They said their good-byes and began making their way back to the common room. As soon as they were out of earshot, the two Slytherins burst out laughing again. Slughorn's drunken reaction to their little mock fight was too priceless. The common room was deserted when they arrived; it was a bit late, and most of the Slytherins were either at the Halloween Party or in their dorms, sleeping or talking to their friends. The Slytherin common room was probably the only one that was rarely crowded since the members of the House tended to be pretty antisocial.

"Modern-day parties are actually pretty fun! If only they had a Maypole, it would have been perfect," Nyx said cheerfully as she trotted into the empty, dim room. "I'm glad our costumes were so vastly superior to everyone else's. It's a pity we have to wait until tomorrow to find out if we won the contest or not…"

"If we win, I hope the prize is something useful," Tom said snootily. "I'll be mad if I had to wear red for a piece of junk."

Nyx rolled her eyes at him and said, "You may still be disappointed about the color of your outfit, but _**I'm**_ still sad that you wouldn't go for a _Wizard of Oz_ or _Gone With the Wind_ theme. I still think it would have been more fun…"

"Fun for _you_, not me," he said simply, taking off his cape and laying it on a chair. "I still can't believe you wanted me to wear a monkey suit of all things…"

"I could have made it worth the humiliation," she insisted. "The wings would have been made of real feathers, and I could have enchanted them to actually fly! So you could do _this_…" Nyx jumped into the air and seemed to float over the back of one of the couches, saying, "This is a vampire trick, too, so don't ask me to teach you about it. And don't show me your neck again or I'll sew your eyes shut!"

Tom gave her an impressed smile, but it vanished when she landed clumsily on the floor, stepping on the hem of her long dress and tripping, falling headfirst into the lit fireplace – until Tom caught her arm and pulled her the other way just in time. Moving so quickly, he lost his balance and tripped over Nyx's legs as she fell back onto the couch she jumped over, and landed on top of her.

He propped himself up and said quietly, "That was close… Are you all right?"

"Of course," she replied.

Tom forgot to move as the fire reflected in Nyx's eyes, making them glow red again. She stared back up at his as they turned red as well, but his were a deep, dark shade and hers were lighter but more intense. He slowly opened his mouth to say something, but he suddenly felt hot and dizzy as his brain began ordering him to do things he never thought he was capable of, like leaning down and…

The vampire beneath him grinned and cooed softly, "You're _bluuushiiing_…"

Tom jumped up and quickly took a few steps back, stammering, "I-I'm sorry… I… Uh… I'm…"

Nyx walked over to him and placed her fingers over his lips to silence him. "Thank you for not letting me burn to a crisp. I appreciate the kind gesture," she said. She smiled at him again and called, "'Night!" as she trotted off to her dorm.

Tom stood there in the common room, wondering what had just happened. He took the white gloves off and felt his forehead; it was warm, like he had a fever. His fingers slowly drifted down to touch his lips lightly as he smirked. Gathering his discarded cape, he strode down the stairs to his dorm, feeling unexplainably happy.

"That was an interesting test, Nyx," Hemera whispered. "I see you got the results you wanted."

"Yeah…" the alpha personality replied, grinning wickedly. "He knows that fire alone can't kill a vampire."

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not.

**A/N:** Heehee, I love this chapter. I still agree with Nyx that going with movie-themed costumes would have been more fun, but… Well, sexy is better than funny, dammit.

I've gotten into the AS/S (Albus Severus/Scorpius for those who don't know) fandom very recently, and I'm quite fascinated by it. Mainly it's due to hollycomb's "This Year's Love" series. (I don't think she's on this site, but I found her on LiveJournal and she has all of her writing there, if anyone else wants to go look for it.) It's very, _very_ well written, in every sense of the words. And it's fucking _**hot**_. Holy crap do I wish I could write stuff like that. I'll give it a shot when I'm 100 percent sure my parents won't find it on the computer and flip out. I'd probably be in trouble for OKoE and Gemini alone, but I also have some other stories outlined, one of which has a lot of sex in it. A _**LOT**_. Maybe I'll use that to "pop my smut-writing cherry" if you'll excuse the horrible, horrible pun.

…wow, I haven't rambled like that since OKoE.

Kudos to my lovely betas, Tiff and Shan.

**General Notes: **The mirror Nyx conjured up is a special one in which vampires can see their reflections, unlike normal mirrors. Just thought I ought to point that out because otherwise, it would be a plot hole and that would be unfortunate.

The Bloody Countess was said to have bathed in the blood of young girls, which is why Nyx would need a young girl and a bathtub to do a reenactment. XD

I love Drunk!Slughorn. I really, truly do. Sober!Slughorn is great, too, since he can work in any given situation I happen to need him for. How handy. (This is why he's such a prominent character in both Gemini and OKoE.)

Lady Gwen, you're probably thinking "dude, stop ripping off of Isolde to make Estelle! I let the similarities slide before, but _spilling drinks on each other_? Come _**on**_!" I swear to god, I wrote it before remembering what happened in PcoD. DX Besides, while Isolde and Estelle are very similar now, they will end up very, VERY differently. I promise.

The Soap Opera Mock Fight at the end would be SO AWESOME to see acted out with real people, like as in a movie. Namely, I want to see Christian Coulson getting all butthurt like that and making a scene because I would piss my pants laughing. I'm still not sure who I'd want to play Nyx, if I had to choose from any actresses available (out of the actresses I know and love, none of them look even vaguely like how I picture Nyx, thought they might be able to act like her… Helena Bonham Carter could totally do Nyx even though she looks nothing like her. XD). Winona Ryder (mainly as Lydia from _Beetlejuice _because I think she looked much better back then) makes me think of teenage Nyx for some reason, though the resemblance isn't perfect. Angelina Jolie or Evangeline Lilly, neither of which I am a fan of since I simply don't watch the stuff they're in, could go for adult Nyx. Depending on the picture, I can see both of them looking like how I imagine her, or at least as close as it's gonna get. (I went through a bunch of actress' galleries to try to figure this out, and it pisses me off that there are so many fucking blonde women out there. It's ridiculous. Half of them are fake blondes and we all know it, which explains why blonde looks like shit on them. Argh. This is why I don't give a fuck about these people. They're a bunch of morons.) By the way, now that I'm on my little actress-hunting spree, I might as well find someone to play Jack (from OKoE, for those who don't know him) since I never thought about it before: Ian Somerhalder is the best Jack replica I can find because there's this one picture of him laying on a couch, wearing eyeliner, and that's the closest thing I have ever seen to a real-life Jack. And he has the EYES. :O Except he needs to start shaving every damn day. The fuzzy-face look only works for me with a select few people, and you aren't one of them, buddy. D: Stop it.

Nyx and Tom DID **NOT** KISS AT THE END. XD One of my betas was confused about this because Tom fell on top of her in such a way that he COULD have kissed her, but he DID NOT. Right before Nyx says "you're blushing," he was _**going**_ to kiss her, but she startled him enough to make him stop. XD I wanted to make sure this was very clear for everyone.

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**--** **k**avi - **s**ama **--**


	16. Eclipse

**Gemini**

Prologue to The Other Kind of Evil

**Chapter 16. **Eclipse

"_There is no dark side of the moon really. Matter of fact it's all dark.__"_

_- _Pink Floyd

"…fever…insomnia…dizziness…headaches…"

"I don't see anything with all of those symptoms. What else is wrong with you?"

"I feel very bipolar; one minute I'm depressed, and the next I feel like giving someone a hug. My head seems foggy all the time, too. I can hardly concentrate on anything anymore… Sometimes I feel like there's a voice in my head telling me to do things I'd normally never do… Not literally, of course. I _**know**_ I am not schizophrenic."

"Oh, I feel bipolar _all_ the time! Maybe we have the same thing."

"Maybe _I_ caught it from _you_."

"I was being sarcastic, you jerk," Nyx muttered. "Vampires don't get fevers, for one thing. Have you ever noticed how low my body temperature is? Bipolar disorder isn't contagious anyway." She flipped the pages of the medical book lazily and sighed, "Well, I don't know what's wrong with you, but I don't think you have any _known_ sicknesses. Either way, don't come near me, just in case _**you're**_ the one that's contagious."

Tom rubbed his tired eyes as he surveyed the pile of books strewn across the table. They were back in the library again, still nestled into their secret little corner where no one bothered them. Over the past three weeks, Tom had convinced himself that he had developed some sort of disease with very peculiar symptoms. At first, he thought nothing of the insomnia because he often functioned on very little sleep anyway. The dizziness and headaches that followed could be caused by that constant lack of sleep. The coming-and-going fevers seemed to change with the environment, such as going from the fourth floor to the chilly dungeons and vise versa.

But when none of these went away after several days, he started feeling worse. Tom's loss of concentration nearly led to a disaster in Potions because he added way too much powdered boar's tusk to his cauldron and almost blasted his own head off. (Nyx pushed him off of his chair to protect his wonderful face from the small explosion of flames and boiling liquid.) His bipolar feelings were impossible to explain, and his sudden urges to act out of character really worried him. The insomnia-related symptoms were logical, but when combined with these other issues, neither of them could guess what was happening to him.

Nyx sat down in her chair, next to her own pile of books, and watched him peruse the medical dictionaries again, hoping to find something he had previously missed. She agreed to help him figure out what was ailing him when she realized the extent of his problems. His mind also kept drifting off as soon as he started reading, making it impossible for him to do it himself. Nyx was willing to help, but it wouldn't do any good to use her healing powers on him if she didn't know exactly what to heal. Besides, mental illnesses like bipolar disorder were too complex for her to fix.

"She's really oblivious without my help, isn't she?" Erebus asked Hemera from within his "prison" inside Nyx's mind. "And I can't believe that dipshit half-blood thinks he has a _disease_!"

"Shush," Hemera said quietly. "He's too un-sentimental to consider the fact that he might be in love with Nyx."

"Yeah, and apparently _she_ can't figure it out on her own without me translating his thoughts for her," he grumbled. "At least we can laugh at them until they figure it out. I hope he falls on top of her again. That was hilarious."

"And you _wonder_ why she sealed you up in there," she sighed. "You give her less credit than she deserves. She knows what she's doing, Erebus, whether she recognizes all of the side-effects or not."

Nyx, who was too distracted to hear the voices in her head, suddenly had an idea. "Hey, what if you used the Felix Felicis? You'd probably get lucky enough to find out what's wrong with you and cure it before the day's out."

"Are you kidding me?" he asked. "I'm saving that for a special occasion. I'd be stupid to waste it on something small like this. If I had more, I might consider it, but we only won a single dose each."

"Yeah, but one dose is better than nothing. We won the costume contest easily and at least we got a _really_ good prize for all that effort I put in," Nyx replied, smiling. "Before you ask, you can't have my dose to try to cure yourself. I know when I want to use mine already, and it won't be for a while yet. I probably won't really need luck to get what I want, but… I don't know. One can't be too prepared."

"So what did you come in here for in the first place?" Tom asked, glancing at her stack of books.

"I'm making winter break plans," she explained cheerily, showing off the atlases, travel guides and history books she had gathered. "I want to see the world now that we know how big it is, _and_ that it isn't flat. There are thousands of places I never knew about a millennium ago, and I want to go visit them. I want to pick some places in the Americas, Australia, and Asia because they're so far away and different from boring old England. I'd like to see Africa, too, because of all the things I heard about it in the past. Incidentally, I find it _really_ funny that I'm older than most of the countries _on earth_…" she added sarcastically, making Tom laugh.

"I'm sure you'll have a very interesting vacation," he said. "And remember; if all else fails, act stupid. Knowing you, you'll probably make a complete ass out of yourself and offend everyone's culture."

"Then maybe you should go with me to avoid such an unfortunate event," she suggested. "How about it?"

"Not if you're going to try to pay for me again," he said flatly. "It's just _wrong_ for a girl to pay for a guy all the time."

"Who cares? You're _poor_ and I have _heaps_ of money that I don't know what to do with," she retorted. "If we were going on a _date_, it would be one thing, but taking a _trip_ is different."

Tom considered her for a moment before relenting. "I suppose I'll join you if I like the destinations. It's not like I have anything else planned." He paused as the feverish warmth returned to his body. "Why do you want me to go with you so badly?"

"Because I don't want to go alone, I like being with you, and it would do _you_ a world of good to get out a little more," she said, smirking.

"That's probably true," he muttered a little sheepishly. In the middle of her sentence, he felt suddenly happy and dizzy again.

Nyx started looking through her books again, but soon needed to leave because she was missing a travel guide for Egypt. Watching her wander off, Abraxas waited until she was out of sight before slinking into her empty seat and facing Tom with a straightforward yet almost reverent look.

"I know it's not our place, my Lord," he began in a hushed voice. "But the others and I have been wondering how and why the new girl has earned your interest. Has she already been initiated like the rest of us?"

"That _**is**_ out of place," the young Dark Lord snapped. "My interest in Nyx Harthcrow is none of your concern. I have my own reasons for valuing her. She has not been initiated…_yet_. It is only a matter of time before I make the offer. She will _not_ refuse me."

Abraxas laughed quietly and agreed, "Of course not. The Dark Lord _**never**_ takes no for an answer."

Tom glanced over his faithful minion's head and saw that Nyx was coming back quickly. He nodded to Abraxas and he immediately knew to get up and leave. As the vampire returned, Abraxas gave her a strange look before disappearing behind a bookcase.

"What was that all about?" she asked, dropping her new travel guides on the table.

"Oh, uh… That was nothing important. The idiots are just living up to their names again," he replied.

Giving him a concerned look, Nyx asked, "Why aren't you more selective about your underlings? I _**know**_ you can do better than those clowns."

"I'm a _seventh-year_, Nyx," he sighed unhappily. "I don't have the luxury of selectivity. Once I graduate, I'll be able to weed out the most useless ones and replace them with worthier servants."

The vampire added quietly, "I overheard them talking about me last week. They mentioned something about an "initiation" involving you and I."

"…Malfoy was just asking me about that," Tom replied slowly. "The whole lot of them seem to think that I'm only giving you the time of day because you're one of them, or that you _will_ be very soon."

"Do 'they' have a name, for simplicity's sake?"

"I call them Death Eaters," he said, smirking sarcastically. "It seems to go along well with Voldemort, don't you think?"

"And do you consider me among their ranks?" Nyx asked coolly.

"No, of course not! Didn't I explain this before? You are the closest thing to an equal that I would ever accept. You're _**far**_ above peon level to me…"

She nodded slowly before asking in a very clear, level tone, "Then do you still intend to "initiate" me, not as a common Death Eater, but as an equal?"

Tom stared at her, knowing exactly what the logical response was – "Yes, because I want you to stay nice and attached to me so you don't make my life harder by running off." But that baffling urge to go against logic hit him full force, and he found himself replying, "Not unless you want me to."

Nyx stared back at him for a while before finally saying, "I don't know if I could take orders from someone 982 years younger than me. Being equal doesn't mean you wouldn't give me orders, or vise versa."

"_You **fool**…_" he mentally chastised himself bitterly. "_Why the fuck did you have to say something stupid like that? Now she'll **never** join you._"

"I thought you might feel that way," he laughed softly. "You're a lot like me, and _**I**_ could never place myself below another person without serious compensation… especially when I could eat the other person at any given moment."

Nyx snickered and replied, "Don't worry so much. I wouldn't ever need or want to eat you. You're too skinny and too good at casting curses – not worth the trouble for so little blood. Slughorn, on the other hand, would be easy to subdue and well worth it with the amount of blood in his excessive body. Unfortunately, he has a really nasty tasting blood type, so I won't be attacking him, either."

Her change in attitude helped Tom to lighten up after her gentle rejection. With an amused grin, he asked, "What would my blood taste like? You know, ignoring the half-you-know-what part of it." He gave her a slightly nasty look at that.

"Oh, yes. That. Sorry for insulting you back then, but I wasn't in a very good mood," she said. "_That_ kind of blood tastes only slightly different then the pure kind or the Muggle kind. It's not bad, just…different. Like vanilla and chocolate. Neither one is better than the other, but they're distinctly different flavors.

"Blood _types_, on the other hand, are either good or bad. To use my own preferences as an example, AB positive is pretty much the closest thing to ambrosia on the face of the earth, while I would rather have a threesome with the giant squid and Albus Dumbledore than drink B negative because it's so disgusting. Your type is AB negative, which is pretty tasty, but not nearly as good as AB positive. "B" is sour and bitter, but the bitterness is cancelled out with "A" which is very sweet. Positive usually has a particularly strong scent and taste, but it's not very filling. Negative, on the other hand, tends to be very thick and rich, but the taste and smell aren't as strong. "O" is strange because if it's positive it tastes salty, and if it's negative it tastes really coppery. Can't say I really enjoy either one…

"Preferences differ among vampires, of course, but I would choose a positive over a negative any day, and there are plenty of AB positives around here. Therefore, you have nothing to worry about because I could put you to _much_ better use than a mere blood donor," she concluded impressively, wiping her mouth discretely because the thought of AB positive made her drool.

"Like what?" Tom asked as his hopes rose.

"Slughorn's Christmas Party," she replied. "While I was gone a bit ago, I noticed that the announcements have already been posted all over the place. Do you want to go with me?"

Silencing the creepy little voice that told him to squeal with delight, he whined, "Do I _**have**_ to go to another bloody party? You _know_ how much I hate them."

"I'll make it up to you somehow, Mr. Drama Queen," Nyx sighed. "I don't want my spiffy 1942-style dancing skills to go to waste; we only danced _**once**_ at the Halloween Ball. I was rather depressed about it, actually."

Tom took a deep breath and relented (though on the inside, he suddenly felt like he was about to piss rainbows and shit kittens), "Fine, I _suppose_ I can fit it into my busy schedule somehow. Just in case you didn't figure this out on your own, this isn't a costume party. You'll have to dress nicely."

Nyx stared at him.

"…on second thought, maybe we _should_ go on that Hogsmeade trip next weekend. I don't think you can be trusted to pick something out on your own and not end up embarrassing me _or_ yourself."

The vampire grinned mischievously at him and cooed, "Only if you let me pay for everything. If _**I**_ have to look good, so do you. No more second-hand crap for _you_, Tommy boy! You'll finally look as rich as you feel!"

"_**Fine**_, you win," he groaned, glancing around to make sure no one heard her 'second-hand crap' comment. "But give me the money beforehand. I don't want anyone to know that you're paying for me. I will _not_ have you ruin my reputation by being obnoxious about this, because I know you'd make a scene about it if you had the chance."

Nyx reached over and smacked him in the back of the head, grumbling, "You stupid men and your pride…"

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not.

**A/N:** Sorry about the extra-long break, everyone… To sum up, my summer was insanely busy and full of a lot of drama and shit that I didn't need. I now trust no one and assume that everyone has bad intentions. Thanks, Tim and Kori. Thanks a lot.

I've been in school for a month already and I got slammed with a ton of work right off the bat, but things are calming down so I have time to write again. Yay! I'm optimistic about finally being a senior because almost all of my classes are great, and I've had enough free time to get all my work done and still relax now and then. College stressed me out for a little while but I have my shit together now, and I'm well ahead of everyone I know, so I should have no problems applying, getting in, and getting a good hunk of money (or so I've been led to believe based on my grades, SAT score and portfolio).

I've been focusing on an illustration career for several months and a few weeks ago, I had an epiphany and decided that becoming a _scientific_ illustrator would be better. I'd be more marketable because I'd be more knowledgeable in more areas, but still able to do general illustration stuff too. And since I know that creativity is not available on-demand, I think scientific illustration would be easier and more comfortable for me. The biggest plus here? **I might get to work for the Discovery Channel**. HELL YEAH. My life would be fucking _complete_ if I got to draw dinosaurs for a Discovery Channel TV Special. (You would hear me crying tears of ultimate joy from around the world. I am not exaggerating.)

Kudos to my lovely betas, Tiff and Shan.

**General Notes: **Come on, you _know_ Tom would be the type to assume that any romantic feelings _must_ be a disease because they're so strange and new to him. He thinks love is a weakness anyway, so there you have it.

"Silencing the creepy little voice that told him to squeal with delight," "(though on the inside, he suddenly felt like he was about to piss rainbows and shit kittens)." If these mental images do not make you laugh… you have no soul.

(Holy crap, this was a short chapter. I guess it balances out the next chapter - which is the longest.)

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**--** **k**avi - **s**ama **--**


	17. Moondance

**Gemini**

Prologue to The Other Kind of Evil

**Chapter 17. **Moondance

"_A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.__"_

_- _Ingrid Bergman

Nyx used every ounce of her strength to steady her hand as she cautiously moved the mascara applicator towards her eye. The last time she used one of these things, she almost gouged her eye out, and she didn't want to relive the experience. Besides, the other girls in the dorm were notoriously squeamish, and they'd make a big obnoxious fuss if Nyx's eye started gushing blood everywhere. The Slytherin girls were also getting ready for Slughorn's Christmas Party, and unlike Nyx who had to concentrate due to her ineptitude with makeup, they were able to carry on a very lively conversation as they dolled themselves up.

"Does anyone know who Tom Riddle is taking?" one asked the room at large. He was a common topic among females of all ages, and only Nyx was surprised that they were so fascinated by him. Surely his appearance wasn't all it took for him to become so popular.

Several voices expressed extreme annoyance that _**they**_ weren't his partner, while others murmured a general, "I dunno."

"Whoever it is, he must _really_ like her," a tall brunette said clearly. "My boyfriend told me he's been acting very nervous all day, and he's even more uptight and moody than usual."

"What a lucky girl…" a second-year with dirty blonde curls sighed.

Nyx couldn't help but snigger audibly. _He's in an uppity mood because he hates parties and he's afraid I'll humiliate him in front of all those important people, you silly twits_.

The brunette glanced over and asked, "Hey, Nyx, you're around Tom all the time. Did he tell _you_ who he's going with?"

"Yeah," she replied, striding towards the door. "Me."

They all gawked at her, speechless.

"And for the record, _**I**_ asked _**him**_, not the other way around," she added as she backed out into the common room. "He's probably nervous because he thinks I'm going to spike his drinks, get him completely smashed, lock him in a closet and rape him or something. I can't _imagine_ where he would get such an idea. I really thought I hid those ulterior motives well, but apparently he saw right through the act, and now my plan has been foiled. What a shame."

As soon as she closed the door behind her, Nyx heard her housemates erupt into a fit of indignation. Tom, who was sitting in his usual seat on his usual couch, gave the door to the girl's dormitory an odd look as Nyx approached him.

"I told them who you were taking to the party," she explained simply. "Apparently they either think I'm lying, you're insane, or I'm going to get you drunk and rape you later tonight and that would be just _horrible_ of me."

"Hopefully they're all incorrect," he muttered, not wanting to know any more than what she had just said. Tom was deeply relieved that the commotion gave them something to talk about; he was expecting the typical Pre-Date Awkward Silence.

But after he spoke, he fell silent as he admired the dark olive green dress she had chosen (with his approval), made of layers of sheer glimmering fabric that swirled around her and hugged her curves nicely, while the top rested just off her shoulders. A circular diamond brooch was pinned on her chest, bunching the fabric to accentuate that particular part of her anatomy. She wore black opera gloves over her pale arms and a matching diamond choker and bracelet, each with three rows of tiny crystals on an even band. (Because diamonds were so expensive, Tom bought her some cheap pencils and metal bracelets and left her to craft her own diamond jewelry since she liked to brag about her fancy-shmancy abilities so much.) Nyx did her hair and makeup the same way she did at Halloween because she liked the effect, but she used her wand to straighten her hair a bit to make it less unruly.

When all was said and done, Tom thought she looked fantastic. This classic, simple look suited her well, though her personality didn't exactly fit the glamorous image. He hadn't seen her wear the dress until now even though he was with her when she bought it. Tom _**had**_ to help her find something to make sure she didn't buy a costume or a "hooker dress" as he called them. Nyx liked flashy things, and the flashiest, most risqué dresses were her favorite, but he absolutely refused to let her buy one for this party. Not that he didn't feel sympathy for the overly-restrictive clothes and sexual repression back in the middle ages, and not that he didn't _**want**_ to see her in one of the slutty dresses for obvious reasons… but not while other people could enjoy the view, too.

While Nyx had a hard time picking something she wanted to wear, Tom was surprisingly easy to please. He was happy with a modestly detailed but very high-end set of black dress robes. The vampire applauded his choice because as always, black looked excellent on him, and the addition of a green tie that matched the girl's dress only made it better. They both noticed that they spent an excessive amount of time getting ready for tonight, but the results were well worth it.

Clearing his throat to get his mind off of how low-cut Nyx's dress turned out to be, Tom said, "So… Would you like to exchange gifts now or later?"

"We might as well do it now," she replied. "We still have time before the party starts anyway, and waiting until Christmas will take too long."

"Always impatient…" Tom sighed, picking up two boxes he left on an end table.

"I'm going first!" Nyx insisted, holding out a small, square wooden box with a silver clasp and a green ribbon tied around it.

Hiding his excitement expertly, he deftly untied the ribbon and flicked the clasp open with one slender finger. Lifting the lid, he felt himself smiling as he stared down at a silver pocket watch with a snake carved into the lid with shining emeralds for eyes. He gently lifted it out of the silky lining and examined it, flipping the lid open and immediately noticing that the inside was covered in small symbols.

Before he could ask, Nyx explained, "That's not _**just**_ a watch. I fooled around with it a bit to make it more useful because I know you love practicality, and just having a shiny watch wouldn't impress you one bit. Tap any of those symbols with your wand and it'll do its thing. This one gives you a map, this one tells you about the weather, this one turns into a multi-language dictionary and translator, this one is a calendar, and this one works like a Remembrall. Oh, and that one turns it back into a watch."

Tom gaped at the little watch as Nyx used her own wand to demonstrate its capabilities. Stunned, he murmured, "I can't believe you managed to do all of this yourself…"

"Well, I _**am**_ pretty damn good at magic, and Muggle technology fascinates me," she replied. "Combining the two was surprisingly easy, and I must say that the result is pretty impressive."

"That's an understatement," he muttered, grinning at her. "I don't think I can thank you enough for something like this –"

Nyx covered his mouth with her fingers and said, "At least wait until you open your other gift before you thank me." With her other hand, she produced a thin, rectangular object wrapped in gaudy Christmas paper and tied with a horrible pink bow.

Sneering at it, Tom said as he began pulling the paper off, "Thank you for trying to make me vomit. I really appreciate it." His reaction changed when he saw that it was a book: The Early History of Hogwarts. Flipping through it, he saw that it covered the Four Founders, the construction of the castle, life in the Middle Ages and how the school's past has affected its present.

"I know I've told you a lot about what things were like back then, but I can't possibly tell you everything," Nyx said. "You were always very interested in that topic, and I know how you love books, so I thought you would find this interesting. I already read it and almost everything is correct; they just messed up a few people's names. They actually wrote about some people I knew when I was in school."

"Did they write about _you_?" he asked, hiding his intense interest.

"No, but why would you need a book about me when I'm right here in front of you?" she asked, smirking.

"Because you do not like to talk about yourself very much," Tom replied. "I've heard the life stories of everyone you know, and _you_ won't even tell me your last name."

Nyx's expression shifted into one he had never seen before, and she said stiffly, "I have my reasons."

Hoping to break the sudden tension, he picked up one of the boxes and presented it to her. "Your turn."

The vampire tore through the green paper and lifted the top off, peering inside for a split second before shrieking, "_SILVER!_" and dropping the package like it was on fire.

"It's only white gold! It can't hurt you!" Tom hissed as he caught the box, glancing around nervously to see if anyone was interested in Nyx's outburst. "Do you really think I'm stupid enough to give a _vampire_ something made out of _silver_?"

Staring suspiciously at the box, she replied slowly, "…no, but you should have warned me all the same."

"That would have ruined the surprise, stupid."

"…wanker."

Tom laughed. "Do you still want it or are you too mad at me to accept it?"

Nyx snatched the box out of his hands and stuck her tongue out between her fangs. Looking inside again, she realized that it was a beautiful circlet studded with even more diamonds, in a style to match her necklace and bracelet. Smirking, she looked up at Tom and said, "Let me guess. You somehow made this yourself, and this is where the missing diamonds from my bracelet went off to?"

"What can I say? I'm economical," he replied with a grin and a shrug.

"You're a _cheapskate_, you mean," she sniffed. Smiling to herself, Nyx slipped the circlet onto her head and immediately began to panic when she felt something twisting into her hair. "Oh god, it's eating my brain!" she sobbed, frantically trying to pull it off.

Tom slapped her hands away, biting his lip to hold in an embarrassingly loud laugh. Wordlessly, he brushed part of her hair forward and held it up. Nyx stared at it as a thin, green tendril entwined itself in the black strands, and tiny white flowers began blossoming along it.

"…_oh_! So this _isn't_ a Brazilian Zombie Plant?"

"No."

'Well, then! That just went from horrifying to awesome!" Nyx beamed, examining the little vines sprouting magically from the circlet. "The live flowers are a nice touch."

"I thought that would amuse you," Tom said, reaching for the other box and presenting it to her when the circlet started to bore her.

She gave him a questioning look at the red wrapping paper, but when he was slow to explain why he chose a hated Gryffindor color, she tore it off and opened the lid. The vampire pulled out an elegant quill with two feathers, one red and one black, and a strange metal tip.

Before she could ask, Tom suggested, "Try writing with it." Nyx scribbled a few black lines on the red paper and shrugged.

"It looks like a perfectly normal quill to me – not that I don't like the feathers, of course," she said.

He took it from her, clicked a tiny, hidden latch on the metal tip and pricked his finger. Nyx watched hungrily as his blood was drawn up, though she knew she would have to hit him with something heavy if he expected her to write with a perfectly good drink. When he was satisfied, Tom clicked the latch again and said, "Write something again."

Hesitantly, she made a single stroke on the paper, and to her surprise, it was black. "D-does this turn blood into ink?" she asked, hoping it wasn't so.

"No, of course not. That would be wasteful," Tom replied, smirking. "That latch controls which feather the ink – or blood – is going to."

"Ah, that makes much more sense," Nyx mused. "So what am I supposed to do with the blood? I doubt I can suck it out of the - ! …I …I _can_ suck it out of the feather! Holy shit, this means I can have blood _whenever I want it_, even in the middle of class!"

"That's the idea," he said, grinning smugly. "I made that one myself, too. …What the hell are you doing?"

Nyx was pointing the sharp tip at him and looking at him strangely. "I'm all out. I want more."

"For the love of god, didn't you say you kept a backup supply somewhere? You don't need mine if you already have some! And if you were hungry to begin with, you should have taken care of that before!" he said, backing up a little and keeping one eye on the poised quill.

"But you taste good!" she whined.

"…d-don't say things like that. It's creepy."

"But it's true! You should take it as a compliment!"

"If you try to stab me with that thing, I'll curse you across the room!"

"But… Can't I just have a little bit more? Your finger is still bleeding, and I promise not to bite down…"

Tom yanked out his wand and pressed it to the tiny wound. "Not anymore."

Nyx whimpered and chewed on the red feather dejectedly.

After putting their gifts with the rest of their belongings (and after Nyx dodged the attacks of Tom's many fangirls), the pair headed off to the party, making small talk and having a few more little arguments about why Nyx wasn't allowed to have any more of Tom's blood. When they arrived at Slughorn's enlarged office, many heads turned to gawk at them.

Nyx patted Tom's arm and said, "They all wish they were in your place."

"On the contrary," he replied, "they wish they were in _yours_."

Before Nyx could come up with a snappy retort, a familiarly large, round shape squeezed through the crowd in front of them. Slughorn straightened his silk smoking jacket and minded his half-empty glass of mead and he stumbled a bit. Nyx thought it was a wonder his cheeks weren't permanently rosy from all the booze.

"Ah, my two favoritest pupils ever!" he slurred, grinning so broadly that his moustache almost split. "So _very_ glad you could make it! And you even came as a couple! I always _knew_ you two would make a fine pair, and I certainly was right! Just the other day, I was telling Professor Dumbledore –"

Slughorn sobered up when he noticed the two murderous looks he was receiving. "…er, well… Now where did Dr. Lovett go? He's heard all about you two and he's simply dying to meet you. That man has quite the web of connections, I'll have you know, and it would be well worth your time to satisfy his interest." He threw in a little wink as he began to herd them towards the back.

"Perhaps later, Professor," Tom said, easing himself out of the Potions Master's grasp. Turning to Nyx, he extended his hand and asked suavely, "Would you care to dance?"

"But of course," she replied with a smirk.

Slughorn watched in wonder as they linked arms and made their way towards the dance floor. Grinning from ear to ear, he raised his glass to their backs and gulped down the rest of his mead.

"I don't know how he found us that quickly," Tom muttered.

"I firmly believe that when he is drunk, Slughorn's senses magnify by ten," the vampire said wisely. "It's the only logical explanation."

Tom didn't stop laughing until they were in position to start dancing. Quickly falling into the slow, steady rhythm, the pair soon attracted even more attention from the other dancing couples.

"I'm surprised that the staring isn't bothering you," Nyx said, giving him a curious look.

"I simply decided to take your advice and ignore the crowd," he replied, smiling. "I'd much rather focus on you."

She laughed and sighed, "That's a relief! I was hoping you wouldn't whine _too_ much tonight."

Tom noticed that his entire body began to feel warm again, and he remembered the unnamed sickness he had diagnosed himself with. As he began wondering what could have caused his temperature change _this_ time, it hit him.

…_I'm not sick at all. I… I'm… I'm in love with Nyx._

The thought shocked him so badly that he had to cough to hide his expression. It took every bit of his willpower to keep his face clear of all emotions as his thoughts rushed ahead.

_N-no! That can't be! **Me?** In **love**? Ridiculous! _

_But why do I feel like this, then? All of my 'symptoms' fit the common descriptions of love… I feel sort of warm and content when I'm around her, and I can't help but think about her at least once every hour, and I have had dreams about her and lost sleep because I couldn't get my mind off her… I can't help but want to be close to her, as much as the thought would repulse me under normal circumstances… And I can't deny that Nyx makes me very happy – in a bit of an odd, unexplainable way, but I do enjoy her company more than anyone else's._

_But that **doesn't** mean I love her! I appreciate her for her inherent value and stimulating intellectual conversations, but that's a pretty weak basis for love, if you ask me._

…_a-all right, I like other things about her, too, like her personality and her strengths. She's absolutely brilliant and completely self-confident… She's one of the only people who can actually make me laugh without suffering some sort of misfortune… I actually look forward to seeing her because we get along so well. True, she can be extremely cruel at times, but is that always a bad thing in a person? And am I really any different from her in that respect?_

_Oh, **what** am I **thinking**?! No matter how much I admire her, there's no reason for me to **love** her! Love can only ever be a weakness, and I can't afford to have any of those!** No one** will ever be worthy of a dangerous risk like that!_

_But why am I so convinced that Nyx **is** worth it? I respect her more than anyone else, and I even value her life almost as much as my own! I feel a connection to her that I can't explain, one that I have **never** felt before… The thought of loving her is perfectly reasonable compared to every **other** woman I've ever known… Now that I really think about it, I suppose it really doesn't bother me. The benefits of keeping her so close to me are astronomical, not to mention the personal satisfaction I would get out of a physical, romantic relationship…_

_Assuming I really am in love with Nyx, what am I supposed to do? …th-this is hardly an opportune moment to kiss her… Where can I find a more private spot around here…? _

…_wait. Wh-what if I make a move on her and she rejects me? How could I possibly deal with that? …oh my god, she would **kill** me before I had the chance. She threatened to kill me over what I did to Hagrid… I can't **imagine** what she'd do to me if I kissed her and she didn't like it…_

_All right, just stop thinking about it, Tom. This is neither the time nor the place to determine your feelings for Nyx. You need to be calm, rational and patient. You're not even completely sure that you love her yet. Considering the risks involved, you know you can't afford to rush into this blindly. You should just wait out the night and keep asking yourself how you feel about her. Maybe something will happen that will tell you for certain whether you really love her or not. After all, you don't know everything about her yet, and you might find that even if you **do** love her, it would be best to nip these feelings in the bud._

Feeling extraordinarily relieved that he sorted out his sudden problem, Tom was able to fully return to reality and strike up a chat with Nyx as they continued to dance. Until the music stopped, he couldn't help but watch her lips move and wonder what they might feel like against his. To take his mind off it, he offered to get drinks, but Nyx refused and told him to go sit down.

"_I'll_ get them this time. I need to talk to Slughorn anyway," she said.

"What for?"

"I want to know if there's some kind of period-shortening potion I can take. It's so bloody annoying. …no pun intended."

Tim cringed. "I shouldn't have asked."

Sniggering to herself because she hadn't gotten a period in over 900 years, Nyx tracked Slughorn to the refreshment area where he was getting a fresh glass of mead. "Evening, Horace," she began quietly. "It's full moon tonight, you know. I trust you have that potion you promised me?"

"But of course, my dear!" he giggled. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a dragonhide flask that Nyx snatched away from him immediately. Unscrewing the top, she chugged the contents and looked like she was going to be sick. Tossing the flask back at Slughorn, she reached for the nearest drink and swallowed it in one gulp to remove the rancid taste from her mouth.

Panting, she said, "Terrible as it tastes, I wanted to make sure I got that stuff right away. I'm not wearing my blood ruby tonight so I sewed it into a pocket inside my dress instead. I don't know if it will still work like that, so I can't take any chances."

This grim topic seemed to sober him up a bit. "Are you absolutely certain you'll turn into a rabid beast if you look at the moon without this potion and the ruby?" he asked in a hushed voice, still slurring his words a little. "You might be perfectly all right, you know. Perhaps you're overreacting –"

'I am _not_ overreacting, dammit," Nyx snapped. "Have you completely forgotten what I told you before? The last time I transformed into that… that _thing_, I _**ate thirty people**_! I don't want to put Tom in danger; I can't afford to have him die. I don't care to be arrested for multiple homicides, either. I know what the fuck I'm talking about, Horace. Don't _ever_ question me like that again."

Slughorn shivered as the warmth from his mead left him. "I apologize… Really, I do," he replied timidly. "It's just so very surreal that someone as unassuming as yourself could be capable of such… such… Well, you know what I mean. At any rate, I'm very glad you're so willing to take these precautions, Nyx. I'd be well-prepared to flee the country at a moment's notice if you didn't."

"I'm just glad you haven't said anything to you-know-who," she said as she poured drinks for herself and Tom. "Your big mouth is unusually hard to shut, or so I've been told."

"When do you plan to tell him the truth?" Slughorn asked, sipping his mead.

"Tonight, if I can. I think I'm ready to trust him, and I think _he's_ ready to trust _me_," she replied, sneaking a quick glance in Tom's direction to make sure he was where she left him.

"I still think you two would make a fine couple," he added with a wink as his cheeks became rosy again. "You're so well-suited to one another and you get along so splendidly…"

Nyx growled, "Give it a rest, Horace. You don't know us as well as you think you do."

Backing off, but not looking quite so terrified, Slughorn gave her a little wave and said, "Have a nice night, Nyxie."

She rolled her eyes and strode off towards her partner in crime. As she handed over his drink, Estelle walked by in an obscenely extravagant green silk dress, cut far too low on every side and dripping in diamonds. The blonde gave Nyx a disdainful glance and fluttered her lashes a bit at Tom, who was more interested in how many ice cubes were floating in his drink. The vampire replied with a death glare and made Estelle look twice when her eyes flashed red for a moment. Unnerved, she trotted off after Abraxas, who had no idea that she had left his side.

Flopping into the chair beside Tom, Nyx growled, "The people at this school are a bunch of fucking lunatics."

"Don't act so surprised," he said, sipping his drink and deciding that it would be sufficient.

"I'm not sure which is worse - the teachers or the students. You can't avoid either one."

"You think _that's_ bad? Don't even get me started on the psychopaths in the government."

"True. At least we don't have another Napoleon running around."

"Or a Nero."

"He wasn't so bad. He killed all those Christians, right? Good for him, I say. I've been targeted by those cretins my whole life and I'd _love_ to see every last one of them eaten by a lion."

Tom laughed. "Can I assume that you include religious fanatics in your 'Stupid People That Ought To Be Killed' category?"

"Of course! And I think _you_ should keep them in mind, too, for when you take over the world someday. I'll volunteer to take out all of them myself, if you like."

"If it would please you that much, that can be your official job: taking out the garbage. I have faith that you would keep the place _impeccably_ clean." He smirked.

Nyx grinned malevolently and chuckled, "Now _that_ would be a fulfilling career."

"What do you suppose you would have done with your life if you hadn't been shut in that dreadful coffin?" Tom asked conversationally, carefully hiding his intense curiosity.

She replied, "Either I would have been a miserable little wretch of a housewife, or I might have gotten lucky and inherited my father's position as Potions Mas – "

Nyx stopped, horrified at her gargantuan slip-up. Tom stared at her for what seemed like minutes before finally asking, "_What_ did you say about your father?"

The vampire cursed her mouth for working faster than her brain. _I suppose I have no choice but to tell him now_, she thought. _I just wish I could have waited for a better opportunity…_

"_Let's take a walk_," she hissed abruptly.

Distracted by how suddenly sexy he found Nyx's Parseltongue, Tom responded slowly, "_W-where? Around the room?_"

"_No. We're sneaking out_." She stood up and, to his private delight, grabbed him by the hand and pulled him through the thick crowd and out into the hall.

Tom followed her down the corridor and up a flight of stairs in silence, until he couldn't stand it. "If I somehow offended you, I apologize."

"It's not your fault at all," Nyx replied with a half-smile. "I just didn't want to answer your question with so many ears around."

She finally reached a familiar nook near the charms classrooms and sat down on one of the benches. Tom leaned against the wall facing her as she spoke.

"You were right, Tom. You have no idea who or what I really am because I have adamantly refused to tell you anything about myself. I've been debating whether or not to tell you the truth, and I've decided that I can trust you to keep my secrets safe. Horace knows about me as well, so you can talk to him about me if you really must. Tell anyone else, though, and I'll turn you inside out."

"I'll do whatever you ask," he replied in a strangely soft voice. "I just want to know more about you."

Nyx took a deep breath and began.

"Do you remember when I told you about Adelle, Slytherin's daughter? The one who was expected to be perfect and got abused whenever she faltered even a little? The one who got completely screwed out of her rightful inheritance just because she was female? That was all true, except her name wasn't Adelle. It was Nyx. _**I**_ am Slytherin's daughter."

Tom's face went blank. He felt an odd shock pass through his body, followed by a warm rush as his pulse began to race.

"That's why I've been so interested in you. We're technically related through my half-brother Vincent and about forty generations, after all. You are remarkably similar to my father, but you mercifully lack some of his worst qualities. I can only assume that _**you**_ are the Heir of Slytherin because my father apparently didn't want _me_ to have the title, even though it's rightfully mine as the first-born child. Either way, I care little about titles and inheritances and all that nonsense, even though I'm still pissed off about it at a deeply moral level.

"The point is that I lied to you because I wasn't sure how you'd react to meeting Slytherin's daughter in person. Incidentally, my full name is Onyxsus Valentina Ariana Lilith Slytherin, but I insist that you just call me Nyx and do not comment on the fact that my initials spell "ovals" because my father was an absolute _dick_ when he named me. Just because he insisted on naming me after a bunch of relatives didn't mean he needed to put them in that order, if you ask me. He was the only one who ever called me by the full "Onyxsus," which is why I get very upset when I hear it.

"Before you say anything, there's one other thing I should tell you while I'm in the mood. It's true that I'm a vampire, as you know, but I only became one _after_ I was attacked by a werewolf. I was careless and I was unable to defend myself, obviously. The first time I transformed into a wolf, I tried to attack a vampire. I clearly lost _that_ fight too. Pitiful, huh? But don't start worrying about being attacked by a werewolf, either. I, uh… 'convinced' Horace to make a special potion for me to make sure I won't go nuts and kill a bunch of people. That was what I had to talk to him about, actually. I haven't had a single period in over 900 years. Of course, I _had_ to tell him about my father, otherwise he never would have helped a freak like me. Typical Horace, eh?"

Tom was still staring at her blankly. Nyx began to worry at his speechlessness.

Standing up, she said, "If you're uncomfortable around a bloodsucking canine, I'll understand. But don't assume that I hate you because you're a half-blood; I'm not like my father in that respect, or many other respects, and I'm glad for it. I also don't want to be the Heir, so don't think I'm going to fight you over the title. Or…" her voice softened, "If you're angry that I lied to you and never told you anything until now… Just try to understand why I did it and try not to hate me too much for it."

Suddenly, Tom laughed like she had just said the stupidest thing he had ever heard.

"How the hell could I possibly hate you?" he asked, beaming. "You're Slytherin's daughter! You're the most powerful, intelligent, respect-worthy person I've ever met in my life! You are the _only_ person I have ever cared about besides myself. Knowing that you're a werewolf and a vampire… It makes me _jealous_, not afraid or repulsed! You have powers that I can't possibly imagine! And you're _**his**_ _**daughter**_…! My god, I can't believe how lucky I am!"

Nyx's eyes went wide. "_Lucky_?"

"_Of_ _**course**_ I'm lucky!" he replied, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I don't know how you could think that I would hate you! I'd sooner worship the ground you walk on! I mean… I can't possibly measure up to you… I'm Slytherin's great-great-great-great-ad-nauseum-grandson… You're his _first-born child_… And you… You're… Superior to me… In every way possible…"

The vampire stared at him in shock. _Did he seriously just admit that I'm **better** than him?!_

"But I'm not upset about it," he added quickly. "If it was anyone else, I'd be _furious_… But… With you… I'm almost… God, what am I _**saying**_?!" He released Nyx's shoulders and held his head in his hands as he slumped back against the wall. "This isn't like me at all! I can't _stand_ it when I'm less than the best at anything! Why is it so different with you?"

It finally dawned on her. _…Tom is in love with me_, she thought, stunned. _…and everything suddenly makes sense_.

Stepping over to him, Nyx said, "I think I know why, but it's something I've never been very good at explaining with words." Before he could speak, she grabbed him by the tie, saying, "You're too damn tall," and pulling him down into a slow, intoxicating kiss.

At first, Tom was too surprised to think or do much of anything. But after only a moment, he melted into her and kissed her back gently, hesitantly, as if he was afraid to make a mistake – or to let her stop. Nyx pulled away after just long enough to get her point across, and just short enough to leave him resisting the urge to pounce on her and continue.

She whispered, her lips just barely out of reach, "Understand now?"

Tom nodded and smiled almost drunkenly, leaning in to get another kiss, when the vampire chirped, "Good!" and flounced off in the direction of the party.

He sobered up instantly and gaped after her, whining, "Where are you _**going**_?! You can't just – just _kiss_ someone and run off! It's cruel and unusual punishment! …And I didn't even do anything to warrant a _normal_ punishment, let alone a cruel and unusual one!"

"No, stupid, you're supposed to _chase_ me if you want me that badly," she shot back, sticking her tongue out at him.

He frowned back at her and huffed, "You are without a doubt the most rude and inconsiderate woman I have ever met in my life. How the bloody hell am I supposed to catch you if you can naturally run faster than me, go through the walls, fly around and teleport? The odds are _definitely_ in your favor."

She smirked as he walked over to her and said, "Give me a reason to play nice and slow down, then."

He paused to think for a moment, then asked, "Oh, like _this_?" and suddenly dip-kissed her with a very surprising amount of passion, bravely taking control of the situation and having the guts to use his tongue without getting permission first (and hoping she wouldn't bite it off for the offense), until he couldn't hold his breath any longer and grudgingly released her.

Nyx was completely stunned by how quickly he picked up on what to do, but she was, of course, hard to please. "…alright, alright, I promise not to run _**too**_ fast… Actually I shouldn't run at all. I'd spend my time much better by staying here teaching _you_ how to kiss properly."

Tom scoffed. "Well excuse _me_ for not being as experienced as you," he retorted snarkily.

"You have the right idea but your technique lacks refinement," she said teasingly. "You just need practice and a good teacher."

"You know me; always willing to learn something new," he replied with a grin. "You lead and I'll follow."

Smirking, Nyx began 'instructing' Tom, who was the most willing student Hogwarts had ever seen. To his mild frustration, she occasionally stopped to give him tips or point out the do's and don'ts of snogging. But he didn't mind that much because each point was followed by a live demonstration, and he liked that. He liked that a _lot_.

During a short break to catch their breath, Tom laughed, "You should just write an instruction manual for this sort of thing. You'd make a fortune off of Hogwarts students alone. You certainly know what you're doing."

"I'm surprised you haven't ruined your pants," she snickered. "It took a lot less than this for you to get all worked up last time, and I had to help you take care of it, in a way."

He grinned deviously and asked, "What are you suggesting?" He gave her a very obvious look and glanced downwards quickly.

"I'm suggesting that you've gained some self-control! Good for you!" Nyx patted him on the head cheerily, ignoring his tragic expression and his unspoken request for a favor.

After their faces had gone practically numb a few minutes later, Nyx suggested that they return to the party before someone noticed that they were gone. Tom had no choice but to agree, but before they reached Slughorn's office, he pulled Nyx into the shadow of a statue and kissed her again.

"I needed one more to tide me over until later," he explained.

"Are you sure one is enough?" Nyx asked.

"…No."

After they snogged for at least another full minute, Nyx really had to insist that they get back to the party. Tom tried to stall until the were-vampire dragged him a few feet down the hall with very little effort.

"Now _you're_ the one being difficult," she sighed. "I had no idea that you'd be so needy once you let go of your inhibitions. Next thing I know, you'll be taking your pants off and wiggling your eyebrows at me."

Tom laughed, "Slip some firewhiskey into my drinks and we'll see how the night goes."

As the light from the Potions Master's office fell across them, Nyx started giggling madly at the lipstick smears she left on her date's face. After cleaning them off and re-applying her own with the help of her wand, the pair returned to the party as if nothing had happened. Slughorn once again mysteriously spotted them as soon as they walked in.

"Where the devil did you two run off to? I couldn't believe you would up and leave without saying goodbye!" he half-scolded them, looking quite sad.

"We're sorry, Horace," Nyx apologized casually. "You'll get a full explanation later." This seemed to appease him because he immediately cheered up and asked for another glass of mead.

Nyx and Tom waited out the rest of the party in much higher spirits than before. Neither was in the mood for open displays of affection, but they did quietly agree that they might as well be in an "official" relationship since they already knew how well they got along, and they were very clearly attracted to one another. The other guests began to disappear as the night wore on, starting with the students because they had a curfew to meet. The older guests asked questions about Nyx and Tom, but Slughorn covered for them and insisted that they had special privileges and there was no need to get them in trouble. It was past midnight by the time the room was empty and Slughorn finally got the explanation he was looking for.

"What?! You – you mean you two _finally_ got together?" he yelped.

Nyx nodded emphatically before popping the last chocolate-covered spider in her mouth. "And we did it without _your_ interference, thank you very much."

Slughorn laughed and downed another glass of mead in their honor. They stared at him, marveling at how he was still standing up after drinking most of the mead himself.

"I've been waiting for this moment for _months_!" he chortled, wrapping an arm around each of them. "You must be sure to invite me to the wedding, I'll never forgive you if you don't! What names have you decided on for the children?"

"Wedding…? _Children_…?" Tom repeated in a tiny voice.

"We've only just decided to get together, you silly man," Nyx laughed, slapping him on the back. "If it turns out Tom's lousy in the sack, you can be sure I won't have his children, let alone marry him. But, as everyone knows, he's perfect at _everything_, so I know I won't be disappointed."

The other two stared at her for a moment, feeling rather bewildered at her boldness. Slughorn recovered first.

"The pressure's on, m'boy," he said to Tom, clapping him on the shoulder. "Good luck!"

"My head hurts," Tom whimpered.

--

Estelle raced back to the Slytherin common room and slammed the door shut behind her. With a choked sob, she collapsed against the wall and hugged her shoulders as bitter tears streaked mascara down her cheeks.

By the time she had gotten bored with the party and left without her boyfriend, Nyx and Tom were just returning from their little excursion. Hearing their approaching voices, Estelle crouched behind another statue farther down the dark corridor and watched as her hopes and dreams shattered before her eyes. She was instantly convinced that the new girl had somehow slipped her beloved master a love potion, placed him under the imperius curse, or done some other nasty thing to make him think he loved her. No matter how it had happened, Estelle saw it as Grand Theft Dark Lord, and she had never hated anyone as much as she now hated Nyx.

The blonde couldn't live with the situation as it was. She needed to win Tom back once and for all, and hurt that little bitch as much as possible in the process. A girl who came from such a suspicious background _must_ have some skeletons in her closet. Estelle would find them and use them to convince Tom that Nyx was a horrible woman, and he would be much happier with her instead.

Estelle assumed it would be easy, given her many years of loyalty, pleasing disposition, immense wealth, and superior looks. Surely he would never choose that disagreeable little tramp over her.

"And if it comes down to it…" she whispered to herself, staring at a sword-shaped candelabra sitting next to a decorative skull, "I'm not afraid to take matters into my own hands."

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not.

**A/N:** I love this quote for this chapter. So very, very appropriate. XD So this is the longest chapter so far, and it's only 7,200 words long. (It says that Chapter 11 was over 7,600 but that's because of the long A/N section.) A chapter that short would have been comparatively uncommon for OKoE, and that makes me happy. I'm actually stunned that I've been able to keep to my "be more concise" rule, but AP Lit and Sr. Connie sort of help with that. Lol.

This chapter was weird to write. Some parts were astonishingly easy, and others were astonishingly hard. I started this at the beginning of the summer and didn't get past the gift-giving part at the beginning until the past month. Then when I tried to work on it, it was an uphill battle for a while, and then I was forced to stop because I had too much homework, and it was hard to get started again. But thankfully almost all of the dialogue was already typed out from when I copied the handwritten outline onto the document, so that made some things easier.

Kudos to my lovely betas, Tiff, Shan and Jessica.

**General Notes: **"Moondance" is one of my favorite old-timey songs, and I think it goes perfectly with this entire chapter. I highly recommend the Michael Buble version. He's cool beans. :D

Nyx's dress is basically my prom dress, plus the same accessories (besides the circlet), because the style is _exactly_ what they would have had back then. Plus I loved it and I could see Nyx wearing it convincingly. Tom would approve because it isn't "immodest" (except it really did turn out to be sort of low-cut, so I had to have mine adjusted so the nuns didn't yell at me… but Nyx left hers as it was because she enjoys being scandalous), and it's frankly perfect if you have any kind of boobs whatsoever, and we all know how much he loves boobs. Oh and poking your eye out while trying to put on mascara? True story.

The segment with the "brain-eating" circlet _almost_ got cut out to lower the word count a bit, but I decided to just leave it at the last minute because it wouldn't have affected it very much, and I didn't feel like filling in the blank it would have left. I'm really glad I did because it seems to be a very popular little bit among my betas. XD I'll let you imagine what you like for the circlet itself; they're much too ornate to describe in writing.

I'd love to comment on other events, but… I'm really afraid that I'll give something away on accident, so… The only comments I'll make will be in review replies. (How's _that_ for blackmail? XD)

By the way, HUGE thanks to all the reviewers so far! I love you guys! o3o

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**--** **k**avi - **s**ama **--**


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